The Athletics announced Friday that team president Dave Kaval, a major architect behind the team’s departure from Oakland, is resigning so that he can “pursue new business opportunities in California,

Athletics president Dave Kaval will resign from his position at the end of the calendar year, the team announced in a statement on Friday. Sandy Dean, an A’s executive and business partner with owner John Fisher, will take over on an interim basis as the club searches for a full-time replacement.

Kaval was often the public face of the A's still-in-limbo efforts to relocate from Oakland, where the franchise had been located since 1968. As a consequence, he was often the subject of ire from fans and observers -- a situation exacerbated by Fisher's reluctance to appear in public or field questions from the media.