The Oakland Athletics have reached a deal to acquire 49 acres of land in Las Vegas. It signals a new ballpark for the A’s as the process of moving to Southern Nevada is underway. A’s team president Dave Kaval, who confirmed the news to the Las Vegas Review-Journal late Wednesday night, said the club is turning its attention to their future home after the process to build a new ballpark in Oakland came to a stall.
Statement from the A’s: pic.twitter.com/kWKWxo8DrG
— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattABC7) April 20, 2023
Oakland A’s Possible Move to Las Vegas in 2027
The move to Las Vegas would be the first relocation of a major league team in two decades. Over the years, the A’s did explore moves from Fremont, California to San Jose. Then, they settled on a detailed plan for a waterfront Stadium in Oakland. It was a last-ditch effort to lure fans to watch a team who averages less than 10,000 fans a game.
The site of the new stadium plans to include a retractable roof with a capacity of 35,000. Located west of the Vegas Strip, across the freeway from T-Mobile Arena and north of Allegiant Stadium. If all goes according to the timeline, breaking ground on the Vegas ballpark could begin in 2024 and open in time for the 2027 season.
A Struggle to Stay Competitive
It was no secret that MLB backed this move. However, it’s one that will infuriate fans of the A’s for plenty of reasons. First, the team’s well-known reputation for their unwillingness to spend money to field a competitive team. They did nothing to rival the glory days of the Swingin’ A’s of the 1970s nor the power bash of the late 1980s. Following that, was Moneyball which introduced teams to more cost-cutting and value-centered approaches to players.
Oakland has since fallen off as being competitive, trading away the team’s best players without suitable prospects in return. As of 2023, they have the second-lowest payroll in the league at $36.5 million. The team even increased ticket prices at an outdated ballpark, resulting in attendance having fewer than 5,000 fans a game.
Rooted in Oakland
Oakland has been the home of the A’s since 1968 after playing in Kansas City from 1955 to 1967. The A’s franchise itself originated in Philadelphia in 1901 before its departure. The current lease on Oakland Coliseum expires following the 2024 season. However, the location of the ballpark was no longer viable for the club’s future in 2021. That opened the door for the A’s to explore other markets for possible relocation in hopes of a new ballpark.
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