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MLB Rumors: A's Won't Be Charged Relocation Fee If Team Moves to Las Vegas

Doric Sam

The Oakland Athletics organization has been mulling a relocation of the franchise for quite some time now, with Las Vegas under consideration for its next destination.

According to Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, one hurdle has been cleared for the A's potential move to Sin City.

"If the Oakland Athletics end up moving to Las Vegas, Major League Baseball wouldn’t charge the team a relocation fee, an indication the league wants a team in Southern Nevada, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Review-Journal," Akers wrote.

The Athletics have been looking to relocate from Oakland after MLB determined last year that RingCentral Coliseum is "not a viable option for the future vision of baseball." In November 2018, the A's began pursuing a waterfront location at Howard Terminal in Oakland for a mixed-use development project that would total $12 billion that includes a new 35,000-seat ballpark that would cost more than $1 billion.

The A's have faced numerous obstacles in their pursuit of the waterfront stadium, but the team took a significant step forward earlier this month.

On June 17, the staff of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission recommended the approval of the franchise's waterfront project ahead of the official vote that is scheduled for June 30. The staff also recommended the approval of the A's request to remove Howard Terminal’s 56 acres from port designation.

Akers noted that the A's have been "researching the Las Vegas market as a potential home" since May 2021. The team reportedly has already identified two potential sites for a ballpark in Southern Nevada.

Las Vegas is becoming a coveted location for sports teams. According to Akers, a pair of billionaires are hoping to bring a Major League Soccer team to the city and the NBA is also rumored to be interested in establishing an expansion team in Las Vegas.

   

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