A's sticking with Beane

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff says the team has agreed to extend the contracts of general manager Billy Beane and team president Michael Crowley through the 2019 season.

Wolff, confirming comments first made on Bloomberg Television, wrote in an email to The Associated Press that the deals are in the "process of being finalized."

The franchise needs approval from Major League Baseball to move to the south bay, where the San Francisco Giants hold territorial rights to the technology-rich region filled with fans and corporate dollars.

Beane has been Oakland's general manager since 1997. He is the subject of Michael Lewis' 2003 book on baseball statistics and economics titled "Moneyball," which was made into a film starring Brad Pitt as Beane last year.