Oakland Mayor Met with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Open to New A's Stadium Proposal

Oakland mayor Sheng Thao is continuing her fight to keep the Athletics in the city.

Thao told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal she and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred met in person on Sunday to provide him with "documented evidence" of the city's plan to build the A's a new stadium.

"At the meeting, which Thao said took place at her request, she presented Manfred with 31 packages, one for him and one for each major-league owner, detailing her city's efforts to get a park built on a waterfront site at Howard Terminal," Rosenthal wrote.

According to Thao, Manfred seemed "receptive" to Oakland's presentation and he intends to forward the documents to MLB's three-person relocation committee.

Rosenthal previously reported Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is one of three team owners who will be on the committee.

Per Rosenthal, Manfred addressed his meeting with Thao during a press conference prior to the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

"We had a good meeting, a very open exchange of views," Manfred said. "I understand she came to the process late and is doing her best to figure out if there is something that can be done in a process that was in a lot of ways kind of over when she showed up on the scene."

Thao's decision to meet with Manfred came after the commissioner told reporters last month "there is no Oakland offer" to build a new stadium.

A's general manager David Forst said in November the organization was pushing for a new stadium in the Bay Area after the team and city missed a deadline to finalize an agreement on the proposed $12 billion Howard Terminal project.

Building a ballpark at the Howard Terminal is a proposal that dates back to 2018 when the A's revealed plans to build a privately financed 34,000-seat stadium.

The city and team remained in negotiations over a ballpark district at Howard Terminal until April when the A's entered into a binding agreement to purchase 49 acres of land near the Las Vegas Strip with the intention of building a $1.5 billion retractable-roof stadium with 30,000 seats.

On June 13, the Nevada Senate approved a $380 million bill to provide funding to the Athletics for funding on the new stadium.

That same day, A's fans staged a reverse boycott for the team's home game against the Tampa Bay Rays. They drew a season-high 27,759 fans in the Coliseum, with many of them protesting against majority owner John Fisher with signs and chants encouraging him to sell the team.

Thao said after the Nevada Senate vote the city was "so close" to a deal that would have led to a new stadium in Oakland, including securing "$1 billion for outside infrastructure, and I truly believe the city of Oakland was being leveraged in the move to go to Las Vegas."

MLB owners still need to vote on a potential A's relocation. The vote requires 75 percent approval from the owners.

The Athletics have been in Oakland since the 1968 season.