Oakland officials and the Athletics remain “a long way off” from reaching a lease extension for the Major League Baseball (MLB) team at the Coliseum, team officials said Tuesday.
A’s officials and representatives from the city of Oakland met Tuesday to observe talks about a lease extension that began earlier this year. The A’s lease on the old stadium ends at the end of the year, and although the deal must close soon so MLB can complete its 2025 season schedule, the team said there is still work to be done.
“We appreciate Oakland’s commitment; and also, we are very far away on the terms needed on an extension,” the A’s said in a statement provided to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Oakland’s offer to the A’s included a $97 million extension, with a five-year term that included an opt-out option after three years, according to an ESPN report. That would allow the A’s to get out of the lease if their Las Vegas stadium is ready as planned for the 2028 season, but also continue playing at the Coliseum if there are any construction delays in southern Nevada.
The A’s would have to continue paying the full $97 million, whether they were there three or five years.
Oakland city officials are asking MLB officials to work with them on one of the following options: establishing an exclusive one-year window to assemble an ownership group for a potential expansion team; have the A’s leave their name and colors in Oakland; or force the A’s to sell the team to a local ownership group, the ESPN report noted.
Alameda County officials did not agree with the city’s proposed terms, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The A’s proposed a two-year extension, valued at $7 million and $10 million for those years, the source said.
Oakland officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The A’s plan to build a $1.5 billion stadium in Las Vegas, scheduled for completion in 2028. With the Coliseum’s lease ending at the end of the year, the team needs a place to play from 2025 to 2027. Team officials have met with officials in Sacramento, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah, about the possibility of playing at Triple A stadiums in the cities.
The A’s plan to begin construction of the 33,000-capacity stadium in April 2025. The Tropicana closed its doors permanently Tuesday afternoon, paving the way for its demolition tentatively scheduled for October. From there, the site would be cleared and prepared for stadium construction.
2024-04-03 03:00:42
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