Rob Manfred, the Baseball Commissioner, is aiming for a vote among MLB owners to decide on the proposed relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas when they convene in Arlington, Texas, from November 14-16. This decision comes amid the backdrop of Oakland Athletics fans expressing their dissatisfaction with the team’s relocation plans during a recent game against the Detroit Tigers.
The Oakland Athletics, originally hailing from Philadelphia (1901-1954) and subsequently moving to Kansas City for 13 seasons before settling in Oakland in 1968, are contemplating their fourth home in Las Vegas. Since the transformation of the Washington Senators into the Texas Rangers in 1972, the only franchise to relocate has been the Montreal Expos, who became the Washington Nationals in 2005.
In April, the A’s announced their intentions to relocate to a new stadium in Las Vegas, solidifying the plan the following month through agreements with Bally’s and Gaming & Leisure Properties to construct the stadium on the Tropicana hotel site along the Las Vegas Strip. The move received public financing approval of $380 million from the Nevada Legislature in June, with the plan currently under consideration by an owners’ committee led by Milwaukee Brewers chairman Mark Attanasio, featuring Philadelphia Phillies chief executive officer John Middleton and Kansas City Royals CEO John Sherman.
The committee’s tasks include evaluating the A’s application, defining the team’s new operating and television territories, and subsequently making a recommendation to Rob Manfred and the eight-man executive council. The executive council, in turn, will offer a recommendation to all 30 clubs, who must then approve the move by a majority vote of at least three-quarters.
The Oakland Athletics have struggled on the field, with a major league-worst record of 48-109 as of Wednesday. Their attendance figures reflect their struggles, with only 832,352 fans attending games at the Coliseum this season, the lowest among all 30 teams. Their average attendance of 10,276 is just over one-third of the big league average. Additionally, the team’s lease at the Coliseum is set to expire after the 2024 season, while a new ballpark in Las Vegas is not anticipated to be ready until 2028 at the earliest. As of now, the team has not announced where they intend to play during the interim period before the new stadium’s completion.