With the legislation signed into law, MLB will begin a lengthy approval process for the Athletics’ proposed move to Vegas

Major League Baseball is kicking off a months-long approval process for the Oakland Athletics’ planned move to Las Vegas in what appears to be the second move by a franchise in the past half-century.

On the day Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed into law a bill granting $380 million in state funding for a baseball field on the Las Vegas Strip, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred lamented the team’s inability to build a new stadium in Oakland. and defended A’s owner John Fisher, who has kept public silence.

“I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland. I’m not happy with this outcome. I understand why they feel that way,” Manfred said at a news conference Thursday after an owners’ meeting. “I think the real question is what was Oakland willing to do? There’s no offer from Oakland. They never got to the point where they had a plan to build a stadium anywhere.”

Manfred said the team should submit a relocation request explaining the effort in Oakland and why Las Vegas is a better market. A relocation committee will define the new work area and television area, then make a recommendation to Manfred and the eight-member executive council. The executive council makes a recommendation to all clubs, which must approve the move with at least three-quarters of the vote.

Milwaukee owner Mark Attanasio will chair the relocation committee, two people familiar with the process told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the appointment has not been announced.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao denied the claim that the city had not made a bid.

“A very concrete proposal was under consideration and Oakland did everything it could to remove hurdles, including securing funding for infrastructure, providing an environmental assessment and working with other agencies to finalize approvals,” spokeswoman Julie Edwards said in a statement. “The reality is that the owner of the A’s had pushed for a multibillion-dollar 55-acre project, including a ballpark, residential, commercial and retail space. In Las Vegas, for whatever reason, they seem content with a rented 9-foot ballpark. acres on leased land. If they had proposed a similar project in Oakland, we are confident that a new ballpark would already be under construction.”

Manfred said there will be no moving costs.

“It’s always been baseball’s policy and preference to stay. And I think that always adds color to any conversation about moving,” Manfred said. “Having said that, I think the owners as a whole understand that there’s been a multi-year and nearly decade-long effort where Oakland has been the sole focus for the vast majority of the time.”

Las Vegas would become the fourth home for a franchise that started in Philadelphia from 1901-54, moved to Kansas City for 13 seasons, and arrived in Oakland for 1968.

Fisher, son of Gap’s founders. Inc., took over in 2016 from Lew Wolff, who had headed the A’s since 2005. on April 19, they had agreed to purchase land near the Las Vegas Strip. That was superseded in a deal announced May 15 to build on the Tropicana hotel site on the Strip.

While Fisher declined to speak to reporters at the owners’ meeting, the team released a statement: “We are excited about Southern Nevada’s dynamic and vibrant professional sports scene and look forward to becoming a valued member of the community. become.”

Since the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers in 1972, the only team to move was the Montreal Expos, who became the Washington Nationals in 2005.

“I hope they remain baseball fans no matter what team they decide to join,” Manfred said of Oakland’s supporters. “The part of this particular series of events that worries me the most is the idea of ​​fans who have supported the team losing a team. We hate that idea.”

Nevada Governor Signs Public Financing Package

The Nevada legislature on Wednesday approved providing taxpayer money for a proposed $1.5 billion ballpark, 30,000 seats and a retractable roof. The new location would be close to Allegiant Stadium, where the NFL’s Oakland Raiders moved to in 2020, and T-Mobile Arena, where the NHL’s expansion Golden Knights began playing in 2017.

“Obviously the legislation has been passed in Nevada — really, really important,” Manfred said.

The team, whose lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, would move from the 10th-largest U.S. television market to the 40th, and its stadium capacity would be the smallest of the major leagues.

“Once I have all the information in that application, if and when I see concerns about it, I will talk about it publicly,” Manfred said.

Fisher has not publicly discussed the move.

“We have never required owners to take a particular stance on public availability,” said Manfred.

Stadium ready in 2028 at the earliest?

A new stadium would not open until 2028 at the earliest. Before then, one possible home is the 10,000-seat Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, Oakland’s top farm team.

Oakland averages 9,076 fans per home game, the lowest of the 30 teams and one-third of the average of 27,203. The A’s, who last won the World Series in 1989, made it to the 2018-20 playoffs, but after trading top players and cutting payroll to a big league low of $58 million, they’re down with 19 -51 the second worst record in the major leagues. .

“They had a really, really good track record during the pandemic,” Manfred said. “Markets that face those kinds of financial problems often have to make tough decisions regarding players when you have limited financial resources.”

Manfred has said the A’s and Tampa Bay Rays must make new ballpark agreements before considering expansion. MLB last added teams for 1998, and top contenders are considered Charlotte, North Carolina; Montreal; Nashville, Tennessee; and Portland, Ore.

Manfred defended government subsidies.

“I consider baseball stadiums, because of the number of games and the economic impact we produce, to be a public asset,” he said. “I really think it’s part of my job and it’s actually a good thing to have a public-private partnership to build those kinds of facilities.”