A’s President Dave Kaval announced Friday that he is stepping down from his position to “pursue new business opportunities in California.” His last day with the team will be December 31st. Kaval, a former president of Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes, has been with the A’s since 2016. Board member Sandy Dean will serve as the A’s interim president while the club searches for a new president in early 2025.

“We are grateful to Dave for his contributions and leadership over the past eight years,” owner John Fisher said in a statement in today’s press release. “He has led our organization through a period of significant change and we sincerely thank him for his unwavering commitment to the team. As we look to the next chapter of our franchise, the team will continue to grow under new leadership and lead the organization to success in our transition years in West Sacramento and in our new home in Las Vegas.”

Kaval joined the A’s in 2016 when former managing partner Lew Wolff sold his interest in the team to Fisher, who took on an even broader role at the time. He was the public face of the A’s now-abandoned effort to build a new stadium in Oakland. During Kaval’s tenure with the A’s, the team explored the possibility of new facilities at Howard Terminal, Jack London Square and even the site of their current home, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Kaval played an important role in the construction of what is now PayPal Stadium in San Jose, home of the MLS’s Earthquakes (also owned by Fisher). At the time of his hiring, he pledged his enthusiasm for “pursuing a world-class ballpark in Oakland for the best baseball fans.”

Obviously that never worked. Kaval and Fisher faced harsh criticism from A’s fans during the latter part of his time with the team, as many questioned the sincerity of the team’s desire to remain in Oakland. The A’s announced in 2023 that they planned to move to Las Vegas and have since begun moving to a 33,000-seat stadium on the Las Vegas Strip on the site of the now-demolished Tropicana Casino. The A’s will play the next three seasons at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento – home of the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. They are expected to move into their new permanent home in Las Vegas in 2028.