Oakland Athletics looking for new home again, but not in Las Vegas
The Oakland Athletics are once again looking for a new home, but that's not because they've given up on plans to move to Las Vegas.
A's executives visited the site this week of a new ballpark being built in South Jordan, Utah, for the Salt Lake Bees, the Los Angeles Angels' AAA affiliate. If the stadium opens as scheduled in 2025, all of the Athletics' 81 home games from 2025-27 will be played there.
The Athletics' new $1.5 billion stadium at the current Tropicana Hotel site won't be completed until 2028 at the earliest, and the team's lease with the Oakland Coliseum is set to expire this year.
"We welcomed team officials on Thursday and demonstrated that we can meet their needs at the stadium," Steve Starks, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Co., which owns Bees and are building a new stadium. "Our organization and the state look forward to welcoming the athletics teams until their new stadium in Las Vegas is completed."
The Athletics were initially expected to share the Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin with their own Triple-A team, the Las Vegas Pilots, pending construction of a new stadium.
This option, like others, is reportedly still under discussion. That includes moves to the San Francisco Giants' Oracle Park, the Reno Aces' Greater Nevada Field or the Sacramento River Cats' Sutter Health Park -- the last of which A's officials reportedly visited Thursday.
However, all of those options would require the Athletics to share a stadium with another ball club, which would create scheduling issues.
No two-player games
If the team temporarily moves to Utah, the Bees would remain at their current home, the 14,500-seat Smith Ballpark, while the Athletics would take over the new stadium, Starks said.
"Our unique two-stadium solution will ensure baseball remains in the Salt Lake City market while the Salt Lake Bees return to Smith Field for additional seasons," Starks said in a statement.
Although original plans called for the new Bee Stadium to seat only 7,5,000 people, the Larry H. Miller Company announced that temporary structures would be added to increase the capacity to 11,000 and beyond. The stadium will feature a. Bee Stadium colors.
"This new stadium will meet the needs of the Athletics and has been a major focus for them," Starks said.
The Athletics may also decide to extend their lease at the Oakland Coliseum. However, at this point, the choice may feel like a married couple continuing to live together after a painful divorce.
Whatever the A's decide, they have until July, when MLB sets its schedule for the 2025 season.
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