Report: A's relocation to Las Vegas unanimously approved
Anonymous sources close to The Associated Press have said that Major League Baseball team owners unanimously approved the Oakland Athletics move to Las Vegas.
The league has not yet announced the results. A 75% vote of the 30 team owners was needed in order to make the move official. This would be MLB’s first relocation since 2005 when the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals.
The new stadium the team plans to play at will reportedly be finished in 2028. The $1.5 billion facility would be located on the Las Vegas strip.
Nevada’s Legislature and governor approved $380 million in public financing for a 30,000-seat stadium that includes a retractable roof in June of this year. However, there is still uncertainty on how the A’s owner, John Fisher, would secure private financing for his share of the construction costs.
The A’s lease on the Coliseum ends after the 2024 season. The question regarding where the team will play until the new ballpark is built is still up in the air.
USA Today reported that an unidentified MLB owner said that the team would play at the team’s Triple-A stadium in Summerlin, Nevada, share Oracle Park with the San Francisco Giants, and also play a few games at the Coliseum while the new stadium is being built.
This relocation would be the third time a professional sports franchise has left Oakland in the last four years. The Golden State Warriors moved to San Francisco in 2019, and the Oakland Raiders left Oakland for Las Vegas in 2020.
Follow Lauren on Twitter @laurhiggs17
For additional Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, MLB and NFL content follow Beyond the Monster on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.
