A few of the top questions facing the Athletics' efforts to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas include: "where would they play until their new stadium is built," "what would they be called," and "would Oakland ever get another team?" Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao reportedly has an idea that would answer all three.
According to Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, Thao has informed Major League Baseball's commissioner office that the City of Oakland would be open to extending the Athletics' lease at the Oakland Coliseum -- for a price. Indeed, Thao's chief of staff Leigh Hanson told the Chronicle that Oakland's list of demands could include "a provision that the A's leave their name rooted in Oakland when they go," or, possibly, "a guarantee of being awarded a new team when baseball expands, as it expects to do fairly soon."
It's unclear if MLB would agree to either condition.
The A's lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season. Their Las Vegas stadium isn't expected to open until several years afterward, perhaps as late as Opening Day 2028. The A's reportedly have three interim home candidates in mind, including the Coliseum and, believe it or not, sharing Oracle Park with the San Francisco Giants. It's been rumored in the past that the A's could also take up residence in the Las Vegas minor-league park where their Triple-A affiliate currently plays.
"It really comes down to the league and the (players) union and their decision to what makes the most sense," A's team president Dave Kaval told Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week. "We're kind of deferring to them on that. We're providing all the necessary information that they need. But in the end, we're going to take direction from the league in the interim."
Whatever the case, it's clear that there's a lot of red tape to be cleared before the A's officially move to Las Vegas.
