Athletics president Dave Kaval will step down from his position at the end of the calendar year, the team announced in a statement Friday. Sandy Dean, A’s general manager and business partner of owner John Fisher, will take over on an interim basis while the club searches for a full-time replacement.

Kaval has been in his post for the last eight years, overseeing the franchise’s search for a new home. After years of unsuccessful attempts to build a new stadium in Oakland, Kaval and the A’s moved to Las Vegas in 2023 and now hope to open a new stadium there in 2028.

“We are grateful to Dave for his contributions and leadership over the past eight years,” Fisher said in a written statement. “He has led our organization through a period of significant change and we sincerely thank him for his unwavering commitment to the team.”

Over the course of the stadium process, the relationship between the A’s and the fan base fell apart, and Kaval became the focus of fan criticism locally and nationally. During the A’s final years in Oakland, the team’s on-field presence declined, attendance declined, and relations with the fan base deteriorated to the point where groups organized “reverse boycotts” in protest.

With various options for new stadiums in Oakland failing, Kaval and the A’s focused on relocation. In April 2023, it was announced that the A’s had agreed to purchase property in Las Vegas, laying the groundwork for the completion of the 56-year franchise term in the Bay Area.

Kaval previously served as president of the MLS’s San Jose Earthquakes, also a Fisher-owned team, since 2010. In the press release, he said he “will remain in California to explore new opportunities at the intersection of business and government.”

Kaval added that he is “grateful to A’s ownership for the opportunities they have given me.”

“I think the decision to step down,” Dean said The athlete“was related to the extent of the progress that has been made here.”

The A’s, who will play the next three seasons in West Sacramento, will actively search for a new president and hope to hire him in 2025. It’s likely the team will hire a recruiting firm to help with the process, Dean said.

Dean has worked with the team since 2005 and was actively involved in the construction of the A’s new $1.75 billion Vegas Stadium. He said it was “an honor” to be asked to step in temporarily and he knew it wouldn’t be long-term.

“We will begin the search in the new year and the search will continue as long as it takes,” Dean said. “The most important thing for us will be to get the right candidate for the position.”

(Photo by Kaval: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)