MLB commissioner Rob Manfred met with the mayor of Oakland to discuss possible stadium plans designed to keep the Athletics from relocating to Las Vegas.
Mayor Sheng Thao requested and was granted a meeting with Manfred prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Seattle, according to reports.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Thao presented Manfred 30 bound copies of a report she wanted all MLB team owners to see, detailing negotiations between the city of Oakland and the A’s, including a detailed timeline. Thao wanted a complete outline on the failed Oakland negotiations to be shared before owners voted on whether to approve the Athletics’ relocation to Las Vegas.
“I did feel it was important to meet with the commissioner in person, given the importance of this upcoming vote by the relocation committee,” Thao told the Chronicle. “This decision isn’t just about business. How they vote will have a lasting impact on a multi-generational fan base of working families who love this game of baseball and have a deep connection to the Oakland A’s. Before undertaking this very consequential vote, I wanted the commissioner and the MLB owners on the relocation committee, and all the owners, to have the true facts, so they can make an informed decision. I continue to fight until the shovel is actually in the dirt.”
Thao said Manfred’s comments and other public sentiment chiding Oakland for not having a stadium proposal at hand were “false.”
She said the relocation proposal could be voted down by owners, and Oakland would be ready to move forward with plans to keep the team. Las Vegas would then likely be in play as an expansion team. Manfred said the league will begin discussing possible expansion from 30 teams to 32.
“In my mind, there’s a scenario where there’s no losers at all, there’s just winners all around, and it’s something we can look to and say we all worked together to actually achieve,” Thao told the Chronicle. “MLB has not moved a team in the last 50 years or so. It was important to me to fly to Seattle and show, look, we have a proposal, let’s take a deeper dive into this.”
–Field Level Media