Trevor May, a reliever for the Athletics, announced his retirement on Monday in an emotional video message in which he lambasted Oakland owner John Fisher and pleaded with him to sell the team.
“Dude, sell the team. In a video that was uploaded to his Twitch show, May remarked, “Sell it, man. “Let somebody own something who truly, like, takes pride in the stuff they possess. There are individuals who genuinely care about the game. Laissez-les faire. Dork, spend your parents’ money elsewhere.
Gap, Inc. was established by Fisher’s parents, and in 2005 Fisher acquired the majority ownership of the A’s. He is trying to move the A’s to Las Vegas after negotiations for a new stadium in the Bay Area broke down, inciting protests and indignation from Oakland supporters.
The A’s have consistently had one of the lowest payrolls in MLB. The team’s season record of 50-112 was by far the worst in baseball.
“If you’re going to be a greedy f—, own it,” May remarked. “Fear of cameras is one of the weakest traits there is. … Act as you intend to act, brother. You’re a billionaire, they exist, and you guys have all this power, even though you shouldn’t have any of it because you didn’t earn it.
In a text message to The Associated Press on Tuesday, May confirmed his retirement plans but refrained from going into more detail about his issues with Fisher. Following a difficult period in mid-April, the pitcher missed more than a month due to what the team described as “issues related to anxiety.”
“I have decided to step away from the game, and that conclusion has come from a place of peace which I was able to find throughout all of the trials and assistance that I received this year,” May stated on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old May played with the Minnesota Twins for his first six seasons before playing for the New York Mets for two seasons. In 49 appearances for the A’s last year, he went 4-4 with a 3.28 ERA, 21 saves, and 49 appearances. He had a 1-0 record, nine saves, and a 0.00 ERA in his previous 15 appearances.