Major League Baseball Owners to Vote on Oakland Athletics’ Relocation to Las Vegas
ARLINGTON, Texas — Major League Baseball’s owners are set to vote on the proposed relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas during their upcoming meetings in Dallas next month. Commissioner Rob Manfred reiterated this announcement prior to the start of the World Series on Friday.
The Athletics are hopeful of breaking ground on a new 33,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium at the site of the Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas by April 2025. They aim to have the stadium ready for the start of the 2028 season, as their current lease at the Coliseum in Oakland expires at the end of the 2024 season.
While addressing a small group of reporters at Globe Life Field, Manfred declined to disclose where the Athletics would play during the three-year interim period.
Tony Clark, executive director for the MLB Players Association, confirmed ongoing talks with the league regarding the relocation. However, no decisions have been finalized at this point.
Manfred revealed that the league’s relocation committee, comprised of Mark Attanasio, chairman of the Milwaukee Brewers, John Middleton, CEO of the Philadelphia Phillies, and John Sherman, CEO of the Kansas City Royals, has been regularly meeting to discuss the Athletics’ application. Their recommendation will then be presented to the eight-person executive council, which requires majority approval before involving all 30 owners.
If three-quarters of MLB’s owners approve the relocation, the Athletics will officially be granted permission to move to Las Vegas. This decision has sparked controversy due to the franchise’s more than 50-year history in Oakland and their limited roots in Las Vegas.
In response to the proposed relocation, Clark expressed concerns about the financial implications for the league, particularly regarding revenue sharing. He stated, “I do find it interesting that amid the conversation and dialogue around finances that rather than staying in the sixth-largest market, they’re moving to a market that may very well have them in the perpetual cycle of receiving revenue sharing. But all of that needs to be remedied sooner rather than later because it is a draw on the entirety of the league at this point.”
The outcome of the owners’ vote will have significant implications for both the Athletics and the future of Major League Baseball in two major markets. Fans and stakeholders eagerly await the decision, which will shape the sport’s landscape in the years to come.