The Oakland Athletics, who have called the Oakland Coliseum home since 1968, appear to be hoping they can call it home for another three seasons.
As reported by Sports Illustrated, the A's still aren’t sure where they are playing beyond the upcoming 2024 MLB season. Citing a report Tuesday by John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, SI relayed that the franchise will meet with Oakland city officials Thursday to discuss extending their lease at the Coliseum.
The A’s current lease at the venue is set to expire at the end of the 2024 season. The team plans to relocate and open a new ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028 but doesn’t currently have a home ballpark for the ‘25, ‘26 and ‘27 seasons.
A’s team president Dave Kaval, who reportedly will attend Thursday’s meeting, previously named re-upping the Oakland Coliseum lease, sharing a ballpark with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators or heading across the Bay Bridge to play at Oracle Park — home of the San Francisco Giants — as the A’s three most likely interim stadium options.
However, according to Tom Dierberger of SI, Oakland mayor Sheng Thao informed MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in August that if the A’s extend their Coliseum lease, the city could demand a clause in the agreement that would require the A’s branding to remain in Oakland or the city to land an MLB expansion team in the future if the franchise goes through with its to Las Vegas relocation plans.
"The A’s have faced plenty of recent scrutiny about their plans to move to Las Vegas," Dierberger wrote.
Even Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman questioned the move a week ago. “I personally think they’ve gotta figure out a way to stay in Oakland and make their dream come true,” she said on the Front Office Sports Today podcast. “I just know that [owner John Fisher] — longtime successful family — in my opinion, needs to listen to people that are up there. It’s their team.”
The A’s secured $380 million in public money to help fund their $1.5 billion Las Vegas ballpark stadium project, and were unanimously approved to relocate by MLB owners, according to Dierberger, who wrote, "But until the shovels hit the ground in Southern Nevada, there is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the A’s future."
