MLB Rumors: Oakland in Expansion Team Talks If City Extends Athletics' Stadium Lease

The move of the Athletics to Las Vegas might not mean the end of major league baseball in Oakland.

The offices of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred have held "preliminary talks" about guaranteeing the city an MLB expansion team in exchange for an extension of the Athletics' lease, the San Francisco Chronicle's Scott Ostler reported.

The Athletics' lease at the Oakland Coliseum is currently set to expire after the 2024 season, while the team isn't expected to complete its move to Nevada until 2028.

Team leaders met with city and county officials Thursday to discuss a three-season lease extension, ESPN's Tim Keown reported.

Working out a deal with the MLB to grant an expansion team to Oakland would likely necessitate Athletics owner John Fisher selling his 50 percent interest in the Coliseum to an Oakland-based group that has "plans for a major development for the site," according to Ostler.

That sale to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) was discussed during the meeting Thursday, Ostler reported. The AASEG has offered $115 million for Fisher's portion of the property, per Ostler.

If Fisher sells, the AASEG-led development could include a new ballpark.

That could be the catalyst for what Thao has campaigned for throughout the A's relocation process: to get the MLB to promise another MLB team to the city.

Although Manfred has previously been dismissive of Thao's likelihood of being granted a new team, the commissioner said Thursday that he wants the MLB to name two expansion cities by the time he retires in January 2029, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Manfred said on Feb. 8 that the Athletics will need to make a decision "in the next few months" regarding where they will play between the start of the 2025 season and the team's move to Las Vegas.

Two potential temporary venues are minor league ballparks near Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, but playing outside the Bay Area would cause the team to lose out on part of its $70 million local television contract.

Other options include a minor league park in San Francisco, or potentially sharing Oracle Park with the San Francisco Giants.

Any of those temporary solutions would mark the end of an era. The Athletics have played at the Oakland Coliseum since 1968.