The Athletics might have a future in Oakland after all. Albeit a temporary one.
ESPN's Tim Keown reported Sunday, via a document obtained by the network and KGO-TV in San Francisco, that the city of Oakland will present A's ownership with an offer to extend the team's Coliseum lease past the 2024 MLB season.
Per the document, the offer will be for five years with an opt-out after the third year, and require the A's to pay a $97 million "extension fee," which will be owed by the team even if the opt-out is exercised, and will pay off the $170 million structural deficit at the Coliseum. The A’s also will be asked to cover the costs of switching the playing field to accommodate Oakland Roots SC, which will begin play at the Coliseum in 2025, and to sell its 50 percent ownership share in the stadium complex.
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The city also dropped previous requirements that called for MLB to keep the A's name and colors in Oakland, as well as the demand that the league guarantee a future expansion team as a replacement.
"We are very interested in doing business, and in having the A's stay in Oakland," Leigh Hanson, the city's chief of staff, told ESPN. "Part of that is helping them solve this interim location challenge and just being clear in what we expect in return."
The city and the A's are set to have their third formal meeting Tuesday, per ESPN.
The proposal, with the third-year opt-out, reportedly is designed to "safeguard" the city in case of delays with the A’s proposed Las Vegas ballpark construction, which the team hopes to complete in time for the 2028 season, or if relocation falls through altogether.
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"I remain committed to doing everything in my power to keep the A's in Oakland," Oakland mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement to ESPN. "The terms we have proposed for a lease extension at the Coliseum are clear, reasonable and achievable. Having Major League Baseball in Oakland is what is best for the owners, the league, the players and most importantly, the fans."
The A's, per ESPN, also have been in negotiations with Sacramento and Salt Lake City as potential temporary homes, with the idea of a three-year stint in Sacramento reportedly gaining traction in recent weeks.
Sources also told ESPN that the A's, who currently pay $1.5 million in rent to play at the Coliseum, proposed to Oakland a two-year deal with payments of $7 million and $10 million over the course of the lease, with the expectation they will have other temporary options for the 2027 season.
It remains to be seen if the A's will accept the city's deal or return to the negotiating table with Oakland or one of the other potential cities.
"The city is putting forward a very reasonable deal," Hanson told ESPN. "We don't think there's a poison pill in this deal. We feel this is an accomplishable goal, and we are going forward understanding we have a short window to execute."
