As the rumor mill finally comes to an end, the A's are officially moving to Las Vegas. Fans associated with baseball expected a move coming from the Athletics as they are now in full rebuild mode and can barely fill the Coliseum. The A's will have a new home for the first time since 1968.
The A's have a rich history with some of the games best calling Oakland home. Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, Mark McGwire, and Reggie Jackson to name a few.
The plan is to build a 30,000-seat stadium, featuring a partially retractable roof, along with ancillary developments on the site. The project will cost $1.5 billion. The Athletics also plan to purchase eight more acres at a later date.
Statement from Oakland A's:
"The A's have signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a future ballpark in Las Vegas.
We realize this is a difficult day for our Oakland fans and community.
For more than 20 years, the A's have focused on securing a new home for the Club, and have invested unprecedented time and resources for the past six years to build a ballpark in Oakland.
Even with support from fans, leaders at the city, county, and state level, and throughout the broader community, the process to build a new ballpark in Oakland has made little forward progress for some time. We have made a strong and sincere effort to stay here.
We recognize that this is very hard to hear. We are disappointed that we have been unable to achieve our shared vision of a waterfront ballpark. As we shift our focus to Vegas, we will continue to share details about next steps."
(Statment via MLB on Fox)
The news broke around 2 AM EST early this morning by Oakland A's president, Dave Kaval. As the A's begin the transition to Las Vegas, the hope is that the stadium will be fully built by the start of the 2027 baseball season.
This now marks the third major sports team that has moved out of Oakland in the last few years. The Warriors, Raiders, and now A's find themselves ready to embark on a new chapter in the franchise's history.
Baseball fans can only hope that this helps a franchise that has seen its success wither away and become a distant memory. There's a new chapter beginning in Athletics history and it's going to be exciting to see where this once beloved franchise can go.