by Jerry Feitelberg
OAKLAND–Last night, Major League baseball announced the players union and the owners have agreed in principle to a new five-year contract. Part of that deal included this from the AP.
As part of the deal, the luxury tax threshold rises from $189 million to $195 million next year, $197 million in 2018, $206 million in 2019, $209 million in 2020 and $210 million in 2021, a person familiar with the agreement told the Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been signed.
•The A’s revenue-sharing funds will be cut to 75 percent next year, 50 percent in 2018, 25 percent in 2019 and then phase out. The time frame is a likely nod to the span it might take the A’s to identify a site for a new stadium and move forward with plans for building a facility, but the decrease in funds probably will lead to A’s spending cuts in the meantime.
This means the A’s will no longer be able to rely on a huge chunk of cash that was used to keep the team in the black. They will have four years to either make the team better or build a new stadium. The situation with the stadium is dicey. If the Raiders stay, they may build at the Howard Terminal. If the Raiders go to Las Vegas, there may be a new baseball only stadium at the current location. It is time for the City of Oakland and Alameda County to get together with the teams and make something happen.
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