It’s been tough for the Oakland A’s on the field over the last year. They lost 102 games, finished with a better record than only the lowly Washington Nationals, and did so by finishing the season on a four-game winning streak.
But things have been tough off the field for a while for the A’s. They’re playing in one of the most dilapidated ballparks in all of the major leagues, and they’re playing in a city that can’t seem to figure out how to get them a new one. There have been new stadium proposals over the years, but there is the constant, yearly threat that the team could leave Oakland altogether and find a home in Las Vegas, Fremont or Portland.
Oakland A’s are favorites to finish with the worst record in MLB
The A’s had the lowest attendance in baseball, averaging a dismal 9,973 fans per game. Shockingly, that was actually an increase from 2021 when they averaged 8,767, giving them pathetic back-to-back years of attendance.
There won’t be much reason for fans to buy tickets in 2023 either. The roster has a huge talent void and they’ll have trouble keeping the fanbase entertained starting on Day 1.
Bettors have taken notice. As it stands today, the A’s are “favored” to be the worst team in all of baseball. They have +275 odds of finishing with the worst record in the league, even better odds than the Nationals, who were the worst team in baseball last season and didn’t do much to improve their roster.
There are a handful of teams that have a shot at finishing with the worst record in the league. The aforementioned Nationals aren’t too far behind the A’s, coming in at +300 to sit in last place. Two more National League teams follow them in the Colorado Rockies (+350) and Cincinnati Reds (+550), with the Kansas City Royals (+900) rounding out the top five.
There are always surprises in baseball, both at the top and bottom of the end positions. There’s a chance one of those bottom five teams will end up vying for a playoff spot in September. But it probably won’t be the Oakland A’s, and no one would be there to see it if it happened.
