The Oakland A's signed a binding agreement to buy a 49-acre piece of land near the Las Vegas Strip to build a ballpark, the team announced Wednesday. The new stadium will be their home by 2027.
"For a while we were on parallel paths [with Oakland], but we have turned our attention to Las Vegas to get a deal here for the A's and find a long-term home," team president Dave told the Last Vegas Review-Journal. "Oakland has been a great home for us for over 50 years, but we really need this 20-year saga completed and we feel there's a path here in Southern Nevada to do that."
Kaval told the Las Vegas Review-Journal a $1.5 billion, 35,000-seat stadium with a partially retractable roof would be built on the site, adding that other developments, including restaurants and an amphitheater, are being discussed. […]
The A's had been looking for a new home for years to replace the outdated and rundown Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. They had sought to build a stadium in Fremont and San Jose before shifting their attention to the Oakland waterfront, then Las Vegas. The A's lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season. (ESPN)
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said she was “deeply disappointed” by the team’s decision.
"I am deeply disappointed that the A's have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner, in a way that respects the long relationship between the fans, the City and the team," Thao said in a statement. "Yet, it is clear to me that the A's have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game -- the fans and our residents deserve better."
