As the Athletics await a vote from MLB owners that would allow the franchise to leave Oakland for Las Vegas, all sides of the saga continue to play the blame game.
And after what was presumably a friendly meeting between MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao at the 2023 All-Star break, in which Thao provided evidence that the city and the A’s were close to a baseball deal with at the Howard Terminal before the team began planning Vegas, things have gotten ugly.
In a recent interview with John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, Manfred appeared to blame Thao for the A’s potential departure.
“I know everyone wants to build on the A’s and MLB titles,” Manfred told Shea. “But I think in fairness you have to look at what Mayor Thao did and didn’t do. She’s great at “MLB did this wrong” and “John Fisher did this wrong.” Did she handle that really well? I do not believe that.”
Manfred had previously told Shea that Thao’s contingencies for the A’s extending their current Coliseum lease – which could include keeping the team name in Oakland or even adding an MLB expansion team – were not discussed during their All-Star break meeting, although Thao’s office told the Chronicle they were.
Shea noted that the commissioner appeared agitated at certain points in the interview, questioning Thao’s “behavior” and suggesting that she take some of the blame for Oakland losing another storied sports franchise after the The NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors departed before her election.
“I understand this is a difficult time for Mayor Thao,” Manfred told Shea. “It looks like they are losing another Bay Area franchise. That is unfortunate. This is a difficult situation. But I think we’re kind of at a point where we have to point out that she’s not telling people the truth.”
In response, Thao’s chief of staff, Leigh Hanson, told Shea: “The mayor has been consistently committed to keeping the A’s in Oakland – for the generations of fans who continue to support them and for future generations who will continue the legacy of A’s baseball.” continue.” in our city. We’ll leave it to the fans to decide who is telling the truth, Mayor Thao or Manfred. At this point, their reputation speaks for itself.”
The A’s have purchased land and secured public funding from the state of Nevada for a brand new baseball stadium on the Strip in Las Vegas, currently scheduled to open in 2028. MLB owners will reportedly vote on the move in mid-November and the team will need 75 percent of team owners to vote in favor of the move.
The A’s lease at Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 MLB season. It’s not clear where the team would play in the meantime while the Las Vegas ballpark is being built, although team president Dave Kaval recently named the Coliseum, home of the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, and Oracle Park in San Francisco as the three Most commonly listed has likely options.
While the team’s future rests in the hands of the owners, it’s a little clearer where the relationship between Mayor Thao and Manfred is headed.