In a move that seems to increase the chances of their desired move to Las Vegas, they have reached an agreement with the Bally Corporation to build a new baseball stadium on Oakland’s AS Strip. The agreement, Bally announced on MondayIt is the latest change in the group’s attempts to leave the city it has called for more than half a century.
In April, the club entered what is known as a standout A binding agreement to purchase land for a ball park Across Tropicana Avenue from Red Rocks Resorts and parent company Station Casinos. However, in early May, the club began exploring backup options for the Red Rocks property after failing to secure the $500 million in public funding they sought for the stadium project. Now, they have reduced their reported request to $395 million in public funds, likely in the form of tax credits and the creation of a special taxing district to offset construction costs. That’s what led them Bally’s station across from Tropicana Ave from their original target location.
Bally’s statement on Monday read in part:
“Bally’s and GLPI will lease approximately nine acres of the 35-acre site at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue to the Oakland Athletics or an affiliated stadium authority. The new ballpark will seat approximately 30,000 fans. This is an amazing deal that could go through. For public financing and related agreements.” As part of the agreement, Bally retains the ability to assign all aspects of this development and receives material interest from development partners.
The statement also said the ballpark is expected to “host more than 2.5 million fans and visitors annually.” But that figure is higher than the stadium’s stated capacity of “approximately 30,000” multiplied by 81 home games for one season.
In the same statement, A Group President Dave Kaval said:
“We are thrilled to have the ability to bring Major League Baseball to this amazing location. We are excited to work with Bally and the GLPI and look forward to finalizing plans to bring the athletics to Southern Nevada.”
This latest development, however, does not mean that a move to Las Vegas is a foregone conclusion. Commissioner Rob Manfred has said he supports the relocation effort, as long as the A’s get approval from other MLB clubs for the move. However, the bid for crowdfunding could be more challenging, even with a modest goal of $395 million as a target. Clarity can come on the front-
Despite the current hurdles, the A’s aim to have a new Las Vegas stadium completed in time for the 2027 season. The lease in Oakland runs through the 2024 season, with the 2025 and 2026 seasons likely to see the difference between the locations at Las Vegas’ current Triple-A affiliate home.
If the A’s move to Las Vegas is successful, they will become the second Major League Baseball team in recent history to move across state lines. The most recent event was the Montreal Expos, which then moved under league ownership to Washington, D.C. and became the Nationals. That move took place before the 2005 season.