It was earlier this week that the Oakland Athletics and Nevada government officials announced a tentative plan to build a new stadium in Southern Nevada. That announcement will likely result in the MLB team relocating from Northern California.
There are still some aspects that need to be figured out before it becomes official, primarily the full Nevada State Legislature approving $325 million in public financing for the $1.5 billion stadium project at the Tropicana site on the Vegas Strip.
The MLB Relocation Committee will also have to approve the Oakland Athletics heading to Vegas by January 1, 2024.
Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred noted on Thursday that said vote could happen in June.
The embattled league head did make sure to say that nothing has been finalized in Nevada as of yet.
“You know, I don’t have a crystal ball as to where anything’s going. There’s not a definitive deal done in Las Vegas, and we’ll have to see how that plays out,” Manfred on Oakland Athletics relocation.
Obviously, Manfred is talking about the Nevada Legislature having to approve the aforementioned public financing. Given that Gov. Joe Lombardo has come out in favor of it, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
“This agreement follows months of negotiations between the state, the county and the A’s, and I believe it gives us tremendous opportunity to continue building the professional sports infrastructure of Southern Nevada,” Gov. Lombardo said in a statement. “Las Vegas is clearly a sports town, and Major League Baseball should be a part of it.”
The A’s also came to an agreement earlier this week with legislative leaders regarding the funding. These announcements wouldn’t have been made without strong confidence of approval.
Assuming the legislature and MLB’s Relocation Committee approve relocation, an official announcement could be made at some point next month.
The tentative plan is for the Oakland Athletics to play in Southern Nevada starting in 2027. Though, that could be expedited due to the worsening situation in Oakland. The A’s are drawing less than 9,000 fans per game and boast the worst record in MLB at 10-41. Add in the disaster class that is Oakland Coliseum, and MLB might push for an expedited relocation to Nevada.
The Vegas suburb of Summerlin hosts the A’s Triple-A team at a newish ballpark that can seat north of 11,000. It might be a better short-term alternative than what we’re seeing in Oakland right now.