A’s Finalize 10-Year Lease Extension After Bud Selig Gives Team Permission To Move

The Athletics and the city of Oakland were finally able to strike a deal regarding their lease, thanks to some intervening by MLB commissioner Bud Selig.

The two sides have been at odds over the extension of their lease agreement, but they agreed to a last-minute deal early Thursday morning — a 10-year extension to play at O.co Coliseum through the 2024 season — after Selig granted A’s owner Lew Wolff permission to move the team outside of Oakland if a deal wasn’t approved quickly.

According to the San Francisco Gate, Wolff sent an email late Wednesday night to Oakland officials, informing them that Selig had given him the go-ahead to leave town.

“I was informed tonight that Commissioner Selig, due to the possibility of not having the hearing and vote that we were purported to receive from the JPA, that we will immediately be allowed to seek a temporary or permanent location outside the city of Oakland.”

The news prompted city officials to restart negotiations immediately, and the new deal was approved 6-2 by the the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority just hours later.

Oakland city councilman Noel Gallo, who originally opposed the proposal, said the new agreement is “fair” and that “it’ll be good for Oakland in the long run.”