Beane is terrible at the entertainment side of baseball. The great stadium aside, do you know why the Giants continued to make money and put butts in the seats during the down years? They had star players who the fans could attach themselves to. That is significant when winning a title isn't a possibility. Beane is all about constantly getting younger, but when a team's own fans aren't familiar with the players on the roster there is a significant dissincentive to buy tickets, especially when your stadium is a dump. Donaldson was a name A's fans could attach themselves to. He was young, under control for four more years at a great price, and he was an MVP candidate. The A's' ROI with Donaldson could've been astronomical. The Giants understand that players have value beyond mere run production, the A's don't. They shouldn't complain about not having money, when they throw away every opportunity to increase revenues. They keep all upper deck seats tarped for playoff games and games against the Giants. Their business model is a huge part of their problems.