MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Friday provided an update on the process of the Athletics' potential relocation to Las Vegas, and not much has changed.
After stating last month that he hoped MLB owners would vote on the A's move during meetings held from Nov. 14 to 16 in Arlington, Texas, the commissioner reiterated that plan before Game 1 of the World Series in a conversation with reporters, noting he will make a recommendation to the teams beforehand.
"Once they have a pretty good sense of where they’re headed, I have to consult with the [committee’s] executive council,” Manfred said Friday, via Ronald Blum of The Associated Press. “And then after that consultation, I prepare a recommendation to the clubs and then go back to the executive council for an actual vote on the recommendation that I made. That would be followed by a vote of the 30 clubs.”
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The A's proposal currently is being reviewed by the league's relocation committee, which Manfred told reporters met three times this week. That committee eventually will send it to Manfred and an eight-man executive council, and they will make said recommendation to the 30 team owners.
The A's need 75 percent of team owners to vote in favor of the proposal to move to Las Vegas. The franchise plans to build a 33,000-seat ballpark in Las Vegas that is projected to open in 2028, but still hasn't determined where it would play in the interim years after the Oakland Coliseum lease expires in 2024.
When reporters asked Manfred where the team would play in two years if the relocation is approved he said, "Can't answer that question right now."
A's president Dave Kaval, on the other hand, previously has listed playing at Oracle Park in San Francisco, sharing a ballpark in Las Vegas with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, or returning to the Coliseum on an extended lease as the team's most probable options for the 2025 season.
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As it stands, many questions remain concerning the A's relocation to Las Vegas. But in about two weeks time, plenty of fans back in Oakland will have one major answer after MLB owners vote on the move.