As the Athletics ponder their impending relocation, extending the team's Oakland Coliseum lease until its new Las Vegas ballpark is constructed won't come without cost.
Oakland mayor Sheng Thao has informed MLB commissioner Rob Manfred a Coliseum lease extension has a price, her chief of staff, Leigh Hanson, told the San Francisco Chronicle. Hanson also revealed those demands could include a clause in the agreement requiring the A's name to stay in Oakland, or the city could make sure it's awarded an MLB expansion team.
The latter condition certainly would provide an economic boon for the city, but keeping the A's name in Oakland alone would resonate with the area's fans set to lose their team.
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As it stands, the A's lease to play at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 MLB season. They'll need somewhere temporary to play in the few following seasons as they work to construct a brand new stadium -- projected to open in 2028 -- that will seat over 30,000 people along the Las Vegas Strip.
The A's officially have submitted their relocation application to MLB and await a vote, owner John Fisher said last week, and president Dave Kaval recently revealed the team is scouting the Coliseum, Oracle Park and the home of their Las Vegas Triple-A affiliate as primary places to play in the meantime.
On Oakland's end, Mayor Thao has met with Manfred in person to prove to him the A's and the city had plans in place for a new ballpark at Howard Terminal, despite comments from the commissioner stating the contrary. Perhaps under these possible new demands, a future MLB team can make use of the project.
A's fans have protested the Las Vegas move from the very start, but Mayor Thao's potential stipulations could help soften the blow once Fisher and Co. are in Nevada.