It has been roughly four months since the Oakland A’s relocation to Las Vegas was confirmed by the team. Over that time, a few details have emerged but there are still more questions than answers. Primarily due to John Fisher and Dave Kaval’s incompetence as well as the state of Nevada’s shameless corruption.
With that in mind, here is what we do and don’t know about the Oakland A’s relocation to Las Vegas.
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Things we know about the Oakland A’s relocation to Las Vegas
1) Las Vegas can use up to $380 million in public funds toward building a baseball stadium
The passing of SB1 in the Nevada State Legislature made $380 million in public funds available for building a baseball stadium in Las Vegas. This is not contingent on the A’s being involved. It could go toward an expansion franchise or any other team relocating.
2) Bally’s wants the stadium to be built on the Tropicana Las Vegas
We know Bally’s desperately wants the stadium to be built on the Tropicana Las Vegas as it will serve as an anchor for a new resort on the same land plot. They also don’t seem overly concerned about the team’s sluggish approach despite the fact that it is preventing them from moving ahead with their own development plans. That being said, nothing is binding A’s management to this site.
3) Oakland A’s fans are better organized than team management
The “Sell The Team” movement has produced more results in a few weeks than Athletics management has in years. The group has not only organized multiple fan-funded giveaways, but awareness of their efforts is spreading.
Sell The Team chants have been heard in Oakland, Seattle, San Francisco, Colorado and Los Angeles. Additionally, the two reverse boycotts have garnered national headlines. On the flipside, the Athletics have been unable to cobble together a coherent message on their relocation. Well, apart from Mick Akers at the Las Vegas Review-Journal pushing out wild propaganda pieces on behalf of “sources”. That is preposterous and shows just how poorly the franchise is being operated.
4) Howard Terminal ballpark still a possibility
The Howard Terminal ballpark is still alive and kicking. Not only that, but it also has a project manager, something the Las Vegas stadium project does not have. Additionally, we know Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao met with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem to go over just how close those plans are to becoming a reality.
Beyond this, A’s lawyers are still involved with lawsuits involving the Howard Terminal ballpark. Not only is this project not dead, but it is far more real than anything in Las Vegas.
5) MLB reviewing the A’s relocation proposal
The only hurdle remaining from the MLB side is approval from the owners. A proposal is currently being reviewed by a committee before being voted on by owners. If we’re being honest, this is most likely a formality unless the relocation fee hits a snag.
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Things we don’t know
1) What will the Las Vegas stadium look like?
The renderings submitted by the A’s to the Nevada State Legislature were nothing but a bunch of nonsense. Some rough photos made via PowerPoint made it seem like the team had a plan in place. In reality, John Fisher and his henchmen have no designs, nor have they hired a design firm to develop them. The current proposed timeline is for this to be concluded by November which seems optimistic given how poorly everything else in the process has been executed.
2) What is the timeline for building the stadium?
You can’t have a timeline to build when you don’t even know what the stadium looks like. At this point, 2028 would seemingly be the earliest it could be completed but that becomes less realistic with each passing day.
3) How much will the Las Vegas baseball stadium cost?
Similarly, you don’t know how much something will cost until you know what it will be first.
Read More: A’s Las Vegas stadium renders are booty and misleading
4) What will happen to the A’s after 2024?
San Francisco? Reno? Las Vegas? Round and round and round they go, where the A’s stop, nobody knows. If the team seals its relocation to Sin City, the city of Oakland is not letting Fisher and Kaval loiter around the Coliseum for a few years, hindering any redevelopment plans for that site.
MLB will want to avoid the optics of a franchise being ripped away from a city only to spend years toiling away in a Triple-A ballpark. The Arizona Coyotes tried that, and no one buys the narrative of this being a quaint experience. Everyone sees it for what it is, bush league.
San Francisco is an option. But the vitriol they would get for housing Fisher after blocking the A’s attempts to move in the past would be off the charts.
What the situation truly highlights is just how clueless Dave Kaval is. His job is to figure this stuff out and he doesn’t have anything close to an answer. This, of course, isn’t the first time he failed to answer a perfectly reasonable question.
5) Is anyone interested in buying the A’s and keeping them in Oakland?
There have been lots of murmurings about potential owners but nothing tangible has emerged. The team cannot stay in Oakland without someone stepping forward with the cash to buy the A’s. It is possible these conversations are happening via back channels. But it is also possible that no one wants to make Fisher an offer. That would be a bummer.
6) Does John Fisher even have enough money to build a stadium?
No, but neither did Mark Davis. Fisher will use different financing options, including loans because that is what billionaires do. His main issue at the moment is the mounting losses being accumulated by Gap and all the crummy brands under his watch.
The most plausible scenario is that Fisher sells a stake in the team to generate capital that can go toward the stadium. Given Bally’s interest in the project’s development, they would make for an easy partner. However, a company with gambling interests owning a stake in an MLB franchise would also be very problematic.
7) Can the “Sell the Team” movement make an impact?
Many MLB owners may live in ivory towers away from the fans, but it would be impossible for them to ignore the situation unfolding. Usually, their hope is for things like this to fizzle out. Fans can win a battle here and there, but billionaires have the resources to win wars.
That being said, the organization and backing of folks in Oakland are unlike other attempts to prevent sports teams from relocating. This isn’t simply disjointed anger lashing out. What we are seeing is a group willing to play the long game. It may have an impact if they can stay focused and keep growing. That’s not always the easiest thing for a grassroots movement.
8) Will Rob Manfred’s past comments on MLB’s antitrust exemption come back to haunt him?
The MLB Commissioner made curious comments in 2022 when he claimed the league’s exemption was responsible for franchise location stability across the league. Here is what he said on the subject:
“MLB differs from other professional sports leagues because MLB’s antitrust exemption allows it to enforce a rigorous process that ensures club relocation is carefully considered and vetted.”
The problem is that the Oakland A’s relocation to Las Vegas has not been carefully considered and vetted. In fact, only uninformed and under-qualified lobbyists being paid by John Fisher seem to be supporting it.
What’s more, Oakland has a viable plan in the Howard Terminal ballpark that is a few steps away from being ready. Should the Athletics move to Las Vegas, it seems highly likely that Congress will yank the antitrust exemption away from baseball. Now, how valuable that is to league leaders remains to be seen. It’s possible they don’t care.
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