Former Oakland Athletics slugger Jose Canseco believes team waited too long to relocate - "They should have left Oakland long ago"
Former Oakland Athletics slugger Jose Canseco had a great MLB career. He spent 17 seasons in the league, being a part of seven teams. Nine of those seasons were in Oakland. He later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during his career and wrote a book in 2005 to expose the league's PED problem.
Canseco would later be cited in the Mitchell Report in 2007, which was the independent investigation of the illegal use of PEDs.
Since then, Canseco has stayed in the spotlight with numerous business ventures, challenges, and interviews. He recently sat down with a Las Vegas news station, where he is a resident, to give his thoughts on Oakland's relocation plan.
"They should have left Oakland long ago," said Jose Canseco. "As a fan, I'd go to some games if the A's do move to Southern Nevada"
Jose Canseco strongly believes the Oakland Athletics should have left Oakland long ago. If they relocate, expect Canseco in the stands at some games throughout the season.
Unlike Canseco, Athletics fans obviously are fighting the move. They do not want to see their team taken away from them. This is not the first team that has been taken away from them. They lost the Raiders when they moved to Las Vegas, and the Golden State Warriors also moved from Oakland to San Francisco.
The relocation is not set in stone just yet. It must be approved by the other 29 MLB team owners, so fans still have some hope.
Oakland Athletics need to get back to the Jose Canseco era
The Oakland Athletics were a force during the late 80s and early 90s. In 1989, Mark McGuire joined the squad alongside Jose Canseco. The two would later become known as the "Bash Brothers" for their absurd power at the plate. They were not the only studs on the team. Oakland also had players like the speedster Rickey Henderson and Dave Parker.
The front office stated they would move away from their "Moneyball" era when they relocate. They believe they will have the money to be involved in big-time trades, something they have been unable to do for years.
They will certainly have to do something different if they move. Fans in Las Vegas do not want to take in an uncompetitive team. They want a team that will be a contender, much like the Vegas Golden Knights.