MLB rejected an A's request to move to San Jose six months ago, the Sports Law Blog reports (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). "MLB denied the Athletics’ relocation request on June 17, 2013, one day before this lawsuit was filed," a case-management statement reads. "On that date, Commissioner [Bud] Selig formally notified the Athletics’ ownership that he was not satisfied with the club’s relocation proposal." As Slusser notes, San Jose's anti-trust lawsuit against MLB was filed the day after the June 17 rejection.
However, a source tells Slusser that MLB only decided the specific proposal for a San Jose stadium was insufficient, saying it merely required more information. The league therefore hasn't denied the A's request to move outright, but hasn't approved anything, either, placing things in a holding pattern of sorts. The situation is much the same as it was nearly five years ago, when Selig first established a committee to investigate the A's stadium situation.
Sam Liccardo, a San Jose city councilman pushing the lawsuit, says he too was unaware of the June 17 letter until recently. “It’s surprising, but I don’t think it changes anything,” Liccardo commented. “I don’t think it matters. The litigation continues.”
