MILWAUKEE — A vote on the Oakland Athletics’ possible move to Las Vegas could happen within a month, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday on a visit here that coincided with the start of the San Francisco Giants’ series against the Brewers.
“It’s possible that a relocation vote could happen as early as June,” Manfred said.
While there remain steps to be taken, Manfred said he was “optimistic” about the A’s finalizing a public-financing deal with Nevada lawmakers that would pave the way for the move. On Wednesday, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo announced a tentative agreement with the club, however it must still be approved by state legislators.
The A’s have come to agreements on multiple potential sites for a new stadium in the past month, first on a 49-acre parcel north of the Raiders’ new home and, this week, one on the strip, on the Tropicana Las Vegas property. Per Casey Pratt of ABC7, team officials toured a third site even after announcing the binding agreement with Bally’s Corporation, the owner of the Tropicana.
Manfred said the A’s were “pretty settled” on the Tropicana site, but the relocation vote was still contingent on the approval of the public financing and the A’s completing the required steps in MLB’s internal relocation process, which includes studies on fan interest, possible corporate sponsorships and more, which the commissioner said A’s owner John Fisher “(has) not even started.”
“It’s really now a question of getting a finalized financing package that would allow them to build on that site,” Manfred said. “It’s very difficult to have a timeline for Oakland until there’s actually a deal to be considered.”
All 30 MLB owners would eventually get a vote in the A’s relocation; the last team to move, the Montreal Expos received the approval of all but one owner, the Orioles’ Peter Angelos, who would became neighbors with the now-Washington Nationals.
Manfred said he was in Milwaukee “as part of an ongoing process to meet with players” and that he met with representatives from the Giants and Brewers (though in the words of one San Francisco player who has spoken with him in the past but didn’t participate Wednesday, “nothing productive ever comes of it”).
Related Articles
Oakland Athletics |
Mariners’ Bryce Miller hands A’s their seventh straight loss
Oakland Athletics |
A’s, Nevada leaders reach tentative ballpark agreement
Oakland Athletics |
Oakland A’s reliever Trevor May apologizes to Mariners for hitting batters
Oakland Athletics |
Opinion: The A’s should be playing ball, not playing our city
Oakland Athletics |
A’s lose again, their 10-40 start worst since 1932 Red Sox
Ostensibly, however, Manfred’s presence regarded the nearly half-a-billion dollars in maintenance costs the …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
