Posted on: November 2, 2022, 09:39h.
Last updated on: November 3, 2022, 11:01h.
The Oakland A’s would have a home in Las Vegas if and when they decide to relocate – even before they build one. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the MLB team is welcome to temporarily share the Las Vegas Ballpark with their own Triple-A team, the Las Vegas Aviators.
This would be one of the benefits previously alluded to by A’s president Dave Kaval of sharing a hometown with their minor-league team – an arrangement that would mirror the NHL Golden Knights’ with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.
A’s Vegas Odds Increase Again
The odds of a Vegas relocation for the A’s increased yet again last Saturday, when MLB commissioner Bob Manfred told Sirius XM radio host Chris Russo that he’s no longer optimistic about the A’s continuing in Oakland.
“I think the mayor in Oakland has made a huge effort to try to get it done in Oakland,” he said, referring to the proposed $12 billion Howard Terminal baseball stadium project. “It just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.”
Athletics officials have already stated that they will not renew their lease at the 55-year-old RingCentral Coliseum when it ends in 2024.
“The Oakland Coliseum site is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball,” MLB said in a statement last year.
The Oakland City Council already missed a key deadline to approve the Howard Terminal proposal. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf terms out after this year, and the council may consist of mostly new members after Election Day. Nevertheless, Schaaf gave a statement to the R-J saying that she remains “absolutely confident our deal in Oakland will get done next year, even with new leadership in place.”
A Tale of Two Stadium Sites
Quoting a source close to Phil Ruffin, the R-J reported in September that the casino magnate met with Kaval and A’s owner John Fisher at least twice that month. Their discussion was about building a $1 billion, 35,000-seat domed stadium on the 38 acres Ruffin owns. That site currently functions as the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, located at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue.
The R-J also reported that the current Tropicana site is actively being considered. It’s owned by a company called Bally’s – no relation to the Strip hotel currently transitioning to the Horseshoe – which purchased the 35-acre property last year for $308 million.
The R-J reported being told by a source close to the negotiations that a Las Vegas deal would be “incumbent on finding some form of public funding” for the project.
