The Oakland Athletics reportedly had the chance to purchase land in Las Vegas for a bargain bin rate, but instead waited several years to shell out nine figures for prime real estate in Sin City.
Unsurprisingly, the Oakland Athletics are on course for another losing season in 2023. Nevertheless, over the first month of the season, they have been one of the bigger stories in MLB. Not for what they are doing on the field, but instead for what they are doing off of it.
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Earlier this month, the Oakland Athletics agreed on a “binding” deal to purchase a massive plot of land in Las Vegas with the intention of eventually building a new stadium on the land and then moving to Nevada. The deal furthered the narrative that Las Vegas is now a top destination for sports in the country and added to the divide between the organization and the few loyal fans they have left.
The actual amount the Oakland Athletics paid for the land in Vegas has not been revealed, however, it is believed to have been in the area of $150 million. But, it seems the organization that is always looking to succeed at a bargain rate might have passed on purchasing prime Sin City real estate for a wildly cheaper cost.
Oakland Athletics record (2023): 6-23
Late last week, The Nevada Independent spoke with Dreamscape Cos CEO Eric Birnbaum and he told the outlet that after purchasing the Rio Hotel & Casino four years ago, he offered the Oakland Athletics 22 acres of his 90-acre plot for the low price of $1. However, the team passed on the offer and ended up later paying a huge sum for a 49-acre space this month.
“I’m a developer. That makes the development deal look a lot better. I’m pretty good at math [and] I would assume that if you had no land price, and another site did have a land price, that the total sum of dollars needed for a development of a stadium would be less than the site that did have a land price associated with it.”
– Eric Birnbaum
The Oakland Athletics will now look to secure $500 million in public funds from Nevada to develop a planned $1.5 billion retractable-roof stadium on the land they have by Tropicana Avenue and Dean Martin Drive.