Courtesy: Stadium Journey

The Oakland A’s have asked to remain in Oakland for at least five more years, according to a report from the LA Times.

This will set the target date for a potential move to San Jose for 2018. They are still awaiting permission from the commissioner to make the move, as the Giants have claims to the territorial rights in San Jose. Unfortunately, it does not look like Bud Selig and his committee will make the decision soon, despite the fact that it has been over four years since the case was handed to them.

So, owner Lew Wolff will have to settle for the O.Co Coliseum for the near future. Their lease expires next year, and he has planned to make a deal to keep the team playing in the Coliseum for five more years.

Here is his statement in a letter he wrote to the governing body of the Coliseum:

The A’s organization certainly prefers to remain in Oakland for the next five years rather than being forced into looking elsewhere for a temporary home venue. If possible, we should retain the 130 full-time jobs and the almost 800 union jobs that encompass a full baseball season, the fun of the A’s, and Major League Baseball in Oakland for five more years.

Wolff has been wanting out of Oakland since the mid-2000s. In 2006, a plan was made for the team to move to Fremont as early as 2010, and a 32,000-seat stadium would be constructed. However, it never materialized, and Wolff has looked to other options.

Sacramento, home of their Triple-A Affiliate Rivercats, has been discussed as a possibility, but Wolff obviously prefers San Jose. The city has embraced the Sharks and Earthquakes, their two professionals sports franchises, and there’s no question that they will come out and cheer on the A’s should they re-locate.

However, nothing will happen until Selig and his cohorts make a decision on whether or not the A’s can make the move.