Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the Athletics move to Las Vegas will undoubtedly occur.
Speaking Thursday to reporters following the league’s owners meetings in New York, Manfred reiterated sentiments that he has stated several times before: That A’s relocation from Oakland and the construction of a $1.5 billion, 33,000-fan capacity ballpark is a sure bet.
“Las Vegas is going to happen,” Manfred said Thursday. “I’m not worried about the outcome in Las Vegas.”
Despite some critics doubting A’s owner John Fisher’s ability to pull the project off, Manfred said with all that has already occurred up to this point, the team is on schedule in their relocation process.
“One-hundred percent full steam ahead,” Manfred said. “I understand there seems to be some sense of doubt persists out there, but John Fisher is completely committed to the process. The building (Tropicana) has been demolished, the site’s available, they are on track for a 2028 opening.”
The A’s played their final season in Oakland this past season and will play in the interim at a Triple-A ballpark in Sacramento for the 2025-27 MLB seasons. Crews have been clearing the Tropicana site since the Rat Pack-era resort was imploded in October. Plans call for construction on the A’s ballpark to begin in the second quarter of 2025 and to be ready for the 2028 MLB season.
MLB owners unanimously approved of the A’s relocation at last year’s owners meetings in Texas. The approval came after the team secured up to $380 million in public financing for the stadium from Clark County and the state of Nevada via Senate Bill 1 and entering into a deal with Bally’s Corp. to use 9 acres of the 35-acre Tropicana site for their ballpark.
The next step in the A’s relocation process will be the Dec. 5 Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting. There the team’s three outstanding ballpark agreements — the development, non-relocation and lease — with the authority board are expected to be finalized and approved.
The A’s are also slated to present four letters confirming their ability to finance their portion of the project.
Those letters will include one from Fisher pledging $1 billion equity commitment from his family’s wealth. A letter will also detail a $300 million construction loan from Goldman Sachs and U.S. Bank. A separate letter from U.S. Bank will state that they have reviewed some of the Fisher family finances and they concluded the family has the required assets for the equity contribution needed to fund the stadium’s construction. A fourth letter signed by the A’s will state that they are in receipt of a construction loan and equity commitment for the ballpark’s financing.
The A’s are also entertaining the potential to bring in local investors who would be given a minority stake in the team for financial commitments made toward to the stadium’s construction costs. With or without potential investors, Manfred is confident in Fisher’s ability to fund the A’s portion of the project.
“They’ve gone through the process of demonstrating that whether or not he takes local partners, he has the capacity to build the stadium, we’re full speed ahead,” Manfred said.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
