Athletics Purchase Land for $1B Las Vegas Stadium; Eye Move from Oakland by 2027

After spending the past two years gutting their payroll, ownership for the Oakland Athletics found a way to open up their wallets by investing in land in Las Vegas that will be the site of a new ballpark for the franchise.

Howard Stutz and Tabitha Mueller of the Nevada Independent first reported the A's were close to finalizing a binding agreement to build a $1 billion park north of Allegiant Stadium where the Las Vegas Raiders play.

According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, A's president Dave Kaval announced on Wednesday night the team finalized a deal for the 49-acre site last week for a stadium that will have a seating capacity of 30,000 to 35,000 with the hope of moving to Las Vegas by 2027.

"It's obviously a very big milestone for us," Kaval said. "We spent almost two years working in Las Vegas to try to determine a location that works for a long-term home. To identify a site and have a purchase agreement is a big step."

Oakland mayor Sheng Thao issued a statement criticizing the A's for not attempting to negotiate a new deal with the city in good faith but "to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas" for a stadium:

"I am deeply disappointed that the A's have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner, in a way that respects the long relationship between the fans, the City and the team. The City has gone above and beyond in our attempts to arrive at mutually beneficial terms to keep the A's in Oakland. In the last three months, we've made significant strides to close the deal.

"Yet, it is clear to me that the A's have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game—the fans and our residents deserve better. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished as a City, including securing a fully entitled site and over $375 million in new infrastructure investment that will benefit Oakland and its Port for generations to come.

"In a time of budget deficits, I refuse to compromise the safety and well-being of our residents. Given these realities, we are ceasing negotiations and moving forward on alternatives for the redevelopment of Howard Terminal."

Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal provided a glimpse at where the new stadium will sit in the city compared to other prominent locations, including Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena.

It hasn't been a secret the A's were looking to move from Oakland, with Vegas seen as their preferred destination.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters in October the league is hoping to eventually expand to 32 teams, but he wanted to see the stadium situations in Oakland and Tampa Bay get resolved before adding more franchises.

"There's demand for (expansion)," he said, "but we need to get Oakland and Tampa resolved first."

During an appearance on SiriusXM MLB Network Radio shortly after those comments, Manfred said it didn't look like the A's were going to stay in Oakland.

The Athletics' current stadium lease at RingCentral Coliseum expires after the 2024 season. It's unclear at this point where the team might play before their new stadium in Las Vegas is ready to go.

Oakland has been attempting to engage the A's in negotiations for a new ballpark for years. There were rumblings about a $12 billion project that would include a new waterfront ballpark and village at Howard Terminal in 2021, but nothing came of those discussions with the club.

The A's have stripped their roster bare in recent years, trading away players like Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Sean Murphy, Frankie Montas and Chris Bassitt. They have the lowest payroll in MLB this season.

Their 3-16 record this season is the worst mark in MLB. They have been outscored by 86 runs through 19 games. No other team has been outscored by more than 51 runs at this point in the year.

The A's moved to Oakland in 1968 after spending the previous 13 years in Kansas City. The franchise originated in Philadelphia in 1901.

During the franchise's 55 years in Oakland, they have won 17 division titles and four World Series championships.