The Athletics appear to be making an attempt to renew their lease at the Oakland Coliseum past the 2024 MLB season, and one longtime member of the organization could be the reason why.
Former vice president of baseball operations and current senior advisor, Bill Beane, urged team owner John Fisher to reengage with the city of Oakland on a possible Coliseum lease extension, Front Office Sports reported Thursday, citing sources.
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A's officials met with the city of Oakland on Thursday, resulting in a productive one-hour meeting.
"We had a positive meeting with the City and County," the A's said in a statement released to KGO-TV. "We look forward to further discussions regarding a lease extension at the Coliseum for the interim period before the Vegas ballpark opens."
The two sides agreed to meet again soon, Oakland chief of staff Leigh Hanson told reporters on Thursday.
"We're glad to be in direct communication with the A's," Hanson said. "The meeting was very direct and very honest. I don't think anyone was posturing or trying to overstate things." (h/t ESPN's Tim Keown)
Athletics
The meeting marked the first time A's officials have met with the city of Oakland and Alameda County since securing $380 million in public funding to build a new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip last June and subsequently receiving unanimous approval by MLB owners in November to relocate to Las Vegas.
With the A's Coliseum lease set to expire after the 2024 season, the team must find a temporary home for the three seasons between then and the projected opening of their proposed $1.5 billion stadium in 2028.
The A's reportedly are considering a handful of options should they not work out a Coliseum lease extension, including playing at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City and Oracle Park in San Francisco for the 2025-2027 seasons.
However, it appears there's at least an outside chance the team will stay put for the next four years.
