The Oakland Athletics are following in the footsteps of the Oakland Raiders, relocating their franchise to Las Vegas. However, with the Athletics not being expected to play in Las Vegas until 2028, the question of where they will be playing until then has become a complicated topic of discussion.
The Athletics are planning to build a stadium in Las Vegas worth $1.5 billion. Until it is ready, they need to find a temporary location to play. Per Front Office Sports, the interim location has been narrowed down to three locations: Oakland Coliseum (their current ballpark), Oracle Park (home of the San Francisco Giants), or Las Vegas Ballpark, the home stadium of the team’s Triple-A affiliate team, the Las Vegas Aviators.
While the Athletics sort through their options, each scenario comes with its own set of issues and complications. Whether it be facility conditions, scheduling, or anything in between, it all weighs into the decision-making process. Not to mention, the Athletics need to gain clearance from the MLB Players Association before making anything official.
Athletics general manager David Forst was very open about the difficulties involving the relocation process during a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle and the impact it is having on the team’s ability to construct a roster.
“It’s not ideal,” said Forst. “We’re sort of taking it a year at a time right, because it’s hard to plan for even ’25 without knowing what that looks like from a venue standpoint or revenue standpoint, any of those things,” Forst added.
Relocation is a tough process for any professional organization and the Athletics are still in the early stages of their move. Like most things, it takes time for things to come together.
