First, the Raiders ditched Oakland for Las Vegas. Could the Oakland Athletics be the next team to leave town for Sin City?
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman told the Las Vegas Review Journal that she’s been in talks with Major League Baseball about moving the Athletics to Sin City since 2019.
“You know, we saw it with the Raiders. The 2016 talks kind of sparked up and they got the deal done,” said Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Journal.
“The city (of Las Vegas) does move very fast and they understand that’s attractive to sports franchises of all types,” said Jesse Merrick, a sports reporter for NBC affiliate KSNV in Las Vegas.
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On Tuesday, the MLB said it gave the Oakland A’s its blessing to start scouting for other cities to move to, citing concerns over how little progress the city of Oakland has made to approve the $12 billion waterfront development project.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is doubling down on her commitment to get the deal done.
“This is an investment that is worth making not just for Oakland but for Alameda County,” she said.
The Oakland City Council is expected to vote on the new ballpark proposal in July. Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas told NBC Bay Area that she wants the league and the team to guarantee that the A’s are staying in Oakland for good.
“Oakland City Council President: there needs to be a relocation agreement once we have the vote, that both the A’s and MLB will not go to other cities to seek a new home, a new homebase,” she said.
Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval said the lawsuits have derailed the Howard Terminal project with construction now set to potentially start in 2027.
“That’s one thing Vegas does well is construction. You can’t drive more than five minutes before seeing something under construction out here. Because the area, the city is still growing so much,” said Merrick.
The A’s lease at the Coliseum is up at the end of 2024.
“Now, it is our 9th inning. We are at bat. And I’m ready to rally this team and our incredible fan base to win this game and that is keeping the A’s rooted in Oakland,” Schaaf said.
