OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) – The Oakland Athletics have signed a binding agreement to purchase land in Las Vegas for a future baseball field, the team announced Wednesday night.
The A’s say “the process of building a ballpark in Oakland hasn’t progressed much in some time.”
Team president Dave Kaval said Wednesday night the team struck a deal last week to buy the 49-acre site where the A’s plan to build the stadium near the Las Vegas Strip with a seating capacity of 30,000-35,000.
The A’s will work with Nevada and Clark County through a public-private partnership to fund the stadium. Kaval said the A’s hopes to lay the groundwork by next year and hope to move into their new home by 2027.
“This is of course a very big milestone for us,” said Kaval. “We worked in Las Vegas for almost two years trying to find a site suitable for a long-term home. Identifying a site and having a bill of sale is a big step.”
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It comes after years of negotiations between the A and Oakland governments over a plan to build a new ballpark at Howard Terminal.
The plan was recently subjected to an environmental assessment, but there was still a lot to iron out.
The A’s have a lease to play their games at the Coliseum until 2024.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao released the following statement:
“I am deeply disappointed that the A’s have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner in a manner that respects the longstanding relationship between the fans, the city and the team. The city has done everything in our area to try and get mutually beneficial terms to keep the A’s in Oakland. In the last three months we have made significant progress towards closing the deal. Still, I realize that the A’s have no intention of staying in Oakland, and have done so. I simply used this process to try to get a better deal out of Las Vegas. I’m not interested in continuing to play this game – the fans and our residents deserve better.
I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished as a city, including securing a position in good standing and over $375 million in new infrastructure investments that will benefit Oakland and its port for generations to come. At a time of budget deficits, I refuse to compromise the safety and well-being of our residents. In light of these facts, we are halting negotiations and are looking at alternatives for the redevelopment of Howard Terminal.”
Full statement from Oakland Athletics:
“The A’s have signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a future ballpark in Las Vegas. We know this is a difficult day for our Oakland fans and community. For more than 20 years, the A’s have been focused on securing a new home for the club and over the past six years have invested unprecedented time and resources building a ballpark in Oakland. Even with support from fans, executives at city At the county and state levels, and throughout the broader community, the process of building a new ballpark in Oakland has made little progress in some time, but we have made a strong and genuine effort to stay here.
We know this is very difficult to hear. We are disappointed that we were not able to realize our shared vision of a waterfront ballpark. As we shift our focus to Vegas, we will continue to share details on next steps.”
The A’s would be only the second MLB team to change cities in more than half a century. Since the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers in 1972, the only team to move has been the Montreal Expos, who became the Washington Nationals in 2005.
AP contributed to this report.
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