The Oakland Athletics and general manager David Forst parted ways on August 7, 2026, ending a 27-year relationship that began when Forst joined the organization as a scout back in 2000. The official statement calls it a «mutual agreement» — but reporters from The Athletic, including Ken Rosenthal, Charlotte Varnes and Melissa Lockard, reported explicitly that Forst was fired. Assistant GM Dan Feinstein has been named interim GM while the organization conducts what it described as a comprehensive search for a permanent replacement.
27 Years, Three Straight Postseasons, Then Four Losing Seasons in a Row
Forst’s path through the organization was a long one. He arrived as a scout in 2000, was promoted to assistant GM in 2004 under Billy Beane, and took over as GM in 2015 when Beane moved up to executive vice president of baseball operations. His best stretch came between 2018 and 2020: three consecutive postseason appearances on one of the lowest payrolls in the game — Moneyball in its purest form.
What followed was a systematic teardown. Jesús Luzardo, Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt and Sean Murphy were all traded away over the next two years. The numbers tell the story clearly: 60-102 in 2022, 50-112 in 2023, 69-93 in 2024, 76-86 in 2025. Four straight losing seasons heading into 2026 — and 2026 has been even worse.
The A’s currently sit at 45-70 with a run differential of -157, the second worst mark in all of MLB, and they’ve dropped 12 of their last 13 games. Forst had signed a contract extension as recently as September 2025 to cover the 2026 season. Less than a year later, he’s gone.
«Mutual Agreement» vs. Fired: What the Team Said and What the Press Reported
The Athletics’ official statement leaned on standard corporate language. The reporters who cover the team told a different story. One factor that surfaced in multiple reports was the relocation to Las Vegas — Forst reportedly had no plans to move to Nevada and preferred to remain in California. ESPN noted, however, that it’s not entirely clear how much that weighed against the team’s on-field performance in the final decision.
What the Next GM Is Walking Into
The job description isn’t easy. Whoever takes over inherits one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, a roster that ranks among the worst in the league in 2026, and a temporary ballpark: Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento — capacity 14,000 — is home for the A’s through 2027 while their Las Vegas stadium is built, with a target opening of 2028.
Forst’s exit also closes the last direct operational link to the Beane era. Billy Beane himself stepped back from an active front-office role after the 2022 season and now serves as a senior advisor. Thirty years of organizational continuity in baseball operations, dissolved at once.
The A’s have rebuilt before with next to nothing and come out competitive. The difference this time is that the next cycle has a hard deadline — Las Vegas opens in 2028 — and the clock is already running.
