The saga surrounding the potential move of the Athletics from Oakland to Las Vegas seems never-ending, even though the franchise has completed several steps to make it a reality.
But in the meantime, knowing where the A’s will play, a new Las Vegas ballpark will be built in 2016. Scheduled to be completed in 2028, an M.L.B. An insider believes. It does not surprise anyone If these plans fail.
Asked if MLB owners were skeptical of the move, ESPN’s Jeff Pass said Friday that “forgive the interruption,” he said, “The whole process was messed up from the beginning.” “When they met 20 years ago and tried to get a stadium in Oakland, they didn’t do it and now they’re going to Vegas, and all of a sudden it’s going to be smooth sailing in a city that’s not interested.
“Everything is a disaster from the beginning, and it will not surprise anyone if this thing collapses.”
Although MLB owners voted unanimously in November in favor of the A’s move, Passan said there are doubts “everywhere” about whether it will actually happen. In addition to the ballot, the A’s have received public support from the Nevada Legislature for the new stadium, which they plan to build on the 9-acre site of the soon-to-be-demolished Tropicana Las Vegas hotel.
But Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said in a recent podcast interview that the A’s plans don’t make sense to her and she believes they should try to stay in Oakland. She later walked back those comments, saying the city was happy to have an MLB team in the growing sports scene.
The A’s lease to play at the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 MLB season, and as the team negotiates a lease extension with the city, Sutter Health Park in Sacramento is reportedly the frontrunner to host the A’s from 2025 to 2027.
And with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred saying in recent days that he expects the A’s to play in Vegas in 2028, Pass’ comments certainly make everyone seem less optimistic.