It’s been a wild few weeks for the A’s organization, which initially declared its “binding agreement” to buy a 49-acre parcel of land near the In-N-Out Burger off The Strip on April 20. Then on May 15, the A’s declared they have another “binding agreement” to develop a Las Vegas Ballpark on nine acres of land which is currently operated by The Tropicana Hotel.
On Wednesday, the A’s sent out another joint press release with Nevada declaring a tentative agreement to forward a bill to state legislators on a $1.5 billion ballpark on The Strip.
You’re not alone if it’s hard to keep up, as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred apparently didn’t know where the A’s are planning to build in Vegas. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle shared comments from Manfred in Milwaukee on Thursday.
Manfred initially told reporters he heard the A’s were making progress at the MGM site, which is funny, because there is no MGM site. MGM, Tropicana, who cares, right?
Even with his lack of details, Manfred apparently is ready to support A’s owner John Fisher and whatever he decides, as he said MLB could hold a relocation vote soon.
The A’s have until June 5 to figure out a ballpark deal in Vegas, before the state legislature ends its 2023 session. Manfred will pull the A’s from revenue sharing if they don’t have a stadium deal hammered out by January 2024 – whether the ballpark will be in Oakland or Sin City.
According to Jaclyn Schultz of FOX5 in Las Vegas, the A’s could get an estimated $325 million public assistance to build the stadium on The Strip.
It's worth noting that the Vegas stadium location isn't set in stone. Schutlz reported that the current deal isn’t tied to any specific site. Casey Pratt of ABC7 in the Bay Area reported that the A’s visited another site after announcing their deal for the Tropicana Lot on May 15. In other words, brace yourselves for another “binding agreement.”
There’s only 11 days left until we’ll have a clearer picture on the situation in Las Vegas, for now, it’s a framework with an expiring clock.
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