Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Las Vegas will be a viable option for the Oakland Athletics should if their home community votes against a new stadium. But Vegas may not be the only city in the mix.
“There are other viable alternatives that I haven’t turned the A’s loose to even explore at this point. So, thinking about this move as a bluff is a mistake,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
If Oakland City Council approves the new stadium at its meeting on July 20, it doesn’t make it a done deal. Other steps need to be taken. Council will have to vote again in September, this time with a binding decision, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“Oakland’s process is at the end…that proposal is in front of the relevant governmental authorities. There are some really crucial votes that will take place over the next couple of months and that’s going to determine the fate of baseball in Oakland,” Manfred said.
The lease on the existing stadium in Oakland expires in 2024. A no vote on July 20 means Oakland is done with the team, but the decision on where to play will probably remain undecided until the end of the year. The A’s are exploring the possibility of using the Las Vegas Triple-A team stadium while waiting for a new ballpark to be built if they decide to relocate.
“That’s something we’re exploring as a possibility, because it’s hard to know how long these things are going to take,” A’s President Dave Kaval said. “We would have to understand all the different options and when things could occur. But since there is such a state-of-the-art facility already there, it’s at least an option.”
The $150 million Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Aviators, includes 10,000 seats, 22 suites, 400 club-level seats and hundreds of party-deck seats, in addition to an outfield pool area.
“I think temporarily, I don’t think anybody would have a problem with it,” A’s player Skye Bolt told the Review-Journal. “I think teams coming in would love to play there because the ball kind of flies there.”
If the Athletics do move to Las Vegas, the team will draw from the millions of visitors who annually visit the gaming mecca. Lori Nelson-Kraft, senior vice president of communications and public affairs with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said no problem. “We’ve seen visitation increase to the destination with annual events such as the National Finals Rodeo, UFC events and NASCAR.”
