At the end of the 1977 season, Finley attempted to trade Vida Blue to the Cincinnati Reds for a player of lesser stature and cash, but baseball 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.
He had received offers from groups in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., and from billionaire oilman Marvin Davis from Denver.
Bowie Kuhn and San Francisco Giants owner Bob Lurie worked with Finley to attempt to find a compromise that would allow the Athletics to leave Oakland.
Infielders Other batters Coaches Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg.