A’S STADIUM SEARCH Commissioner endorses ‘prudent, sufficient’ process

MIAMI — Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday that he’s not losing patience with the A’s, who gave themselves a year to settle on a ballpark site.

In the wake of the management changeover — including Lew Wolff’s departure as managing partner, Dave Kaval’s arrival as president and owner John Fisher’s increased involvement in the stadium process — the A’s said in January that they’d pick a site by December.

“Given the change in the control situation,” Manfred said, “I think it’s prudent and sufficient for Mr. Fisher to take a year and make a decision on what site he thinks is the best.

“That decision is a uniquely local decision. I really don’t believe that it’s my job to have a preference for those sites. They know their market better. They’ve kept me briefed. They’ve spent a heck of a lot more time analyzing the sites. They’re far more familiar with the political issues that might revolve around those sites and the environmental issues involved.”

At the same time, Manfred suggested a team can’t play in an antiquated facility forever.

“I am not going to indefinitely leave a club in a market without a major-league-quality facility,” he said.

Manfred isn’t ruling out expansion and on Monday mentioned three possible future markets: Montreal, Charlotte, N.C., and Mexico City (or elsewhere in Mexico), but the commissioner reiterated that expansion wouldn’t be on the table until ballpark issues are resolved in Oakland and Tampa Bay.

“We rightly or wrongly have been extraordinarily committed to our existing markets and patient with those markets as a result,” said Manfred, adding that once the A’s determine a site, “We’ll move on to the next step in the process.”

Three sites being considered are the Coliseum, Howard Terminal (north of Jack London Square) and Peralta Community College District (just west of Laney College).