Athletics Could Soon Receive Permission For Move

The Athletics will be granted permission to move to San Jose by February, top Major League sources tell Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).  A's GM Billy Beane declined comment on the report according to Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).  However, Nightengale tweets that the A's have received private assurances from MLB about the impending approval but cannot speak about it publicly.

The A's have been said to be basing their spending decisions on the fate of the new stadium.  Getting a new ballpark would signal the club to go into an all-out rebuilding mode in order to field a competitive team for the new space.  If the A's didn't feel that they could get the new stadium that they seek, they likely would have increased spending in the short-term in order to make the franchise more attractive to a prospective owner.

Yesterday, Beane admitted that the club's recent moves were made with an eye on a brand new ballpark being in their future.  The club's recent trades involving Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez give the A's a fresh stock of prospects that should be able to help them win a few years down the road.

The Athletics will have to pay the Giants for territorial rights if they move to San Jose, but that amount has yet to be determined, Nightengale tweets.