On June 10, Jack McKeon was fired as manager and replaced by former Arizona State University coach Bobby Winkles.
[11] After the season, owner Charlie Finley attempted to trade Vida Blue to the Cincinnati Reds for a player of lesser stature and cash, but Commissioner Bowie Kuhn vetoed the deal.
The commissioner claimed that adding Blue to the Reds' already formidable pitching staff would make a mockery of the National League West race.
Kuhn and other owners thought that the Athletics relocating would alleviate baseball's problems in the Bay Area regarding poor attendance.
Kuhn attempted to get an ownership group to purchase the Athletics and relocate to Washington, D.C., with the intention of moving them to the National League.