Heading into the new MLB season, many Oakland fans already were heartbroken about the state of their struggling team -- small crowds, bad baseball and dismal winters watching top players being traded away or lost in free agency.

Now, the greatest disappointment yet: Yes, the A's are leaving for Las Vegas.

The news came Wednesday night from team president Dave Kaval, who said Oakland signed a binding agreement to buy land on a 49-acre site near the Las Vegas Strip to build the intimate ballpark the A's always coveted but couldn't pull off in the Bay Area.