For years, we’ve felt that the franchise’s move from the A’s to Vegas is imminent. We clearly feel that the future of the franchise is not in Oakland.
And then, overnight, we learned that the A’s had agreed to buy land in Las Vegas and that all the energies of the club were directed towards a move to Nevada.
The A’s organization released a statement to mention that the club had done everything in its power for years to keep the club in Oakland, but it was too difficult.
The club also recognizes that it is hard for club fans to hear. A little yes?
Oakland Mayor Sheng Tao says the A’s never really intended to stay in Oakland and build the stadium on the waterfront.
So the plan is to build a billion dollar stadium in Vegas. Ideally, it’s a stadium that could open in 2027, four seasons from now – if you count the 2023 campaign which has only just begun.
The A’s would be the first team to move since the Expos. And clearly, it didn’t happen the same way since the Expos hadn’t made an announcement years in advance.
We suspected it was the end, but the club did not say so.
Casually, this opens the door even more to an expansion process in MLB. When the Rays case is settled, Rob Manfred can go ahead with the expansion.
Will Montreal be a big player in the file?
But back to the A’s. The problem is that the club’s fans will be even less inclined to visit the old Coliseum in Oakland, the home of an opposition.
Can all this last until 2027? I do not believe.
In my eyes, it is logical to believe that the A’s will not play the next seasons in Oakland. Could the A’s go play in their AAA stadium, located in Vegas, in the meantime? It’s possible.
It would be like the Arizona Coyotes and their college arena, but as long as you’re playing Oakland in front of no one, you might as well use a smaller stadium. And anyway, the fans are there in the AAA in Vegas.
Note that the A’s lease ends in 2024. However, I would not be surprised if it were bought out and that as of next March, the club would be in Vegas in the club’s AAA stadium while waiting for the construction of a real Major League stadium. .
And with incredible profits in 2022, the A’s have the means to buy something nice and do like the Raiders (NFL) by leaving Oakland for the promised land.
That would leave just four clubs in California instead of five and it would also leave the Bay Area 100% to the Giants.
It is therefore to be continued, but do not doubt it: it will happen sooner rather than later, this move.
- The Blue Jays lost a game they didn’t deserve to win – except for Jose Berrios. The club lacked opportunism and the next generation failed in Houston.
- Ricky Tiedemann did well.
- A Red Sox tattoo? What if he is traded?
