Rob Manfred has the most tone-deaf advice for A's fans with team moving to Vegas

MLB fans got news they've been waiting for with commissioner Rob Manfred announcing his eventual retirement on Thursday. It won't come until January of 2029, but at least there's an end date.

Perhaps Manfred has gotten a bit more hate than he's deserved, but he's deserved most of the bashing he's received since taking over as MLB's commissioner in 2015. He spoke Thursday with the media about a variety of topics including the new jerseys, a free agency deadline, and his eventual retirement.

Most of what he said was fine, but what he had to say about the Oakland Athletics and fans who might be upset with the team's upcoming relocation is beyond tone-deaf.

Rob Manfred gives laughable advice to angry Athletics fans

“First of all, we do have a major-league team in the Bay Area; it’s not like there is not an available option,” Manfred said. “The Giants obviously still play there. But in terms of the other side of the Bay, the Oakland side of the Bay, our community involvement in terms of youth programming, all of the things that we do in major-league communities will continue. And I think it’s a sign of our commitment to the community that we will continue that kind of programming. And as I said, most important, there is a fan opportunity that’s not so far away.”

Manfred tries to make angry Athletics fans feel better by saying that the Bay Area still has a team. Sure, the San Francisco Giants do play there, but seriously? That's how you make fans accept an unjust relocation?

Athletics fans are among the most passionate in baseball. You might not see it now because John Fisher has run the organization into the ground, but when the A's are somewhat relevant, the fans show up and make their presence known. Just look at what happened this past season during the reverse boycott night.

Manfred's solution for these angry A's fans is to just root for the other team across town? Really? He wants fans of one side of the Bay Bridge Rivalry to go and just switch to the other team. This isn't like switching from the Raiders to the 49ers when they moves from Oakland. There is a real rivalry between the Athletics and Giants.

Can you imagine what the reaction would be if Manfred said to a group of angry New York Mets fans to go root for the Yankees? How a group of angry Los Angeles Angels fans would react if Manfred said to go root for the Dodgers?

Manfred has proven time and time again he does not care one bit about the fans. Yes, his job is to appease the owners, and he does a pretty good job doing so. Still, a tone-deaf response like this will only lower his already low approval rating among the fans.