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AL West Notes: Scherzer, Rangers, A’s, Schanuel

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Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer hasn’t been ruled out for contributing to the Rangers’ postseason push this year despite having suffered a teres major strain earlier this month. Just two weeks after being placed on the IL with the issue, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News noted that Scherzer had worked his way up to throwing a “light” bullpen today. Scherzer wouldn’t put a timeline on his potential return, telling reporters (including Grant) that “If you target dates, you get emotional & then you compete with the injury.”

Scherzer managing to return to the Rangers this postseason would provide a massive boost to the club’s pitching staff, which offers little certainty beyond lefty Jordan Montgomery and veteran righty Nathan Eovaldi without its future Hall of Fame ace fronting the rotation. It’s been an up-and-down year for Scherzer, who’s posted a 3.77 ERA and 4.33 FIP in 152 2/3 innings of work this year. While those numbers are uncharacteristically close to average for the veteran ace, he seemingly flipped a switch upon being traded to Texas. The righty posted a 2.21 ERA and 2.47 FIP in his first six starts with the club with a 33.6% strikeout rate, looking like vintage Scherzer before a pair of injury-shortened starts that preceded his trip to the injured list.

More from around the AL West…

  • Sticking with the Rangers, the club activated left-hander Josh Sborz from the 15-day IL today and optioned lefty Jake Latz to Triple-A in a corresponding move. While Sborz sports a well below average 5.80 ERA in 49 2/3 innings of work this year, his peripheral stats indicate a much stronger performance as indicated by his 3.90 FIP, 3.41 xERA, 3.24 xFIP, and 3.11 SIERA. Much of this discrepancy comes from an extremely low 55.3% strand rate combined with an excellent strikeout rate (30.6%), solid walk rate (8.3%), and strong groundball rate (46.8%). If Sborz’s results can improve, he could be a valuable left-handed option out of the club’s bullpen headed into the postseason.
  • MLB commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed in an interview with the Associated Press today an earlier report by Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that MLB owners will vote on the Athletics’ relocation bid during the owners’ meetings, which are scheduled for November 14-16. Akers also notes that the club is expected to announce the architect for the impending stadium prior to that announcement, with that decision expected to come as soon as next month. At least 75% of owners will need to approve the relocation proposal, though that is widely expected to be all but guaranteed.
  • Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel has been out of action since fouling a pitch off his knee on Monday, which prompted him to exit the game in the seventh inning. While he’s missed the past two games nursing the injury, manager Phil Nevin indicated to reporters (including MLB.com) that the club was hopeful Schanuel would be able to return to the starting lineup as soon as Friday, following the club’s day off tomorrow. The Angels’ first-round pick in this year’s draft, Schanuel was called up to the big league club just one month after being drafted and has performed admirably in his first taste of both major league and professional pitching this summer, with a .284/.407/.343 slash line that clocks in at 16% better than league average by measure of wRC+. The club has relied on Brandon Drury at first base in Schanuel’s absence.

A’s Relocation Vote Reportedly Set For November

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Major League Baseball’s owners will vote on the A’s relocation application during owners meetings scheduled for November, reports Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Neither the team nor MLB have announced the news.

The A’s relocation proposal has been in the committee stage. A three-person ownership contingent of Mark Attanasio (Brewers), John Middleton (Phillies) and John Sherman (Royals) has been reviewing the application. They’ll soon make recommendations to the league and an executive council, which will then relay its own findings to all 30 ownership groups.

November’s vote among the ownership groups is decisive. The A’s will need approval from 75% to finalize their relocation. It is generally seen as a fait accompli that they’ll be approved, likely by unanimous vote. If/when that happens, they’ll officially begin their move to Las Vegas.

Akers writes that construction of the A’s $1.5 billion retractable roof facility at the site of the current Tropicana hotel (which would be demolished and rebuilt at an adjacent site) is tentatively scheduled for early 2025. The plan is for the stadium to be ready by the start of the 2028 season.

It remains unclear where the A’s would play in the intervening years. Their lease at the Oakland Coliseum runs through the end of next season. They don’t have plans finalized for 2025-27. A’s brass has floated the possibility of a short-term lease extension at the Coliseum, though it’s not clear whether Oakland would have any interest in that arrangement. Other speculated possibilities to bridge the gap include playing at their Triple-A ballpark (also in Vegas) or sharing Oracle Park with the Giants.

AL West Notes: Oakland, Ohtani, Mariners

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The Athletics are all but certain to move out of Oakland in favor of Las Vegas upon their lease’s expiration at the end of the 2024 campaign. That being said, the club’s new stadium in Las Vegas isn’t expected to be ready until 2028 at the earliest, creating questions regarding where the A’s will play in the interim. Some possible solutions that have been discussed would see the A’s look to split time in Oracle Park with the Giants or Las Vegas Ballpark with the Aviators, the organization’s Triple-A affiliate.

Perhaps the most frequently discussed option at the club’s disposal would be simply remaining in the Coliseum on an extended lease while the club’s new ballpark in Las Vegas is built, but Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle indicates that Oakland’s mayor, Sheng Thao, would not extend the club’s lease in Oakland easily. Ostler relays that Thao’s chief of staff Leigh Hanson indicated the city’s demands could include the A’s leaving the “Athletics” name in Oakland when they depart for Vegas or a guarantee of a new team when MLB eventually expands beyond 30 teams.

It seems unlikely that the A’s would be willing to give up the “Athletics” name nor that MLB would offer Oakland an expansion team in exchange for three additional years on the club’s lease in Oakland. Given those hefty demands, it seems that the A’s will have to look elsewhere as they search for an interim home while their future ballpark in Las Vegas is built. The A’s have officially filed with MLB for relocation, with their interim home ballpark remaining as perhaps the single biggest question mark regarding the relocation plan. Any interim home ballpark would have to receive the approval of not only the league, but also the MLBPA.

More from around the AL West…

  • Angels GM Perry Minasian indicated today to reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) that the club suggested two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani undergo imaging on his throwing arm earlier this month when he left a start on August 3 thanks to cramping in his finger. Ohtani and his team declined to proceed with the MRI, instead opting to make his scheduled start on August 9. Of course, Ohtani wound up being diagnosed with a UCL tear earlier this week, an injury that has ended his season as a pitcher. Ohtani has continued to his since the injury was revealed, and has done so at his usual MVP-caliber level: in four games since, Ohtani has recorded three doubles, a triple, and a home run on five hits and six walks in sixteen trips to the plate while stealing two bases. Minasian declined to provide an update on Ohtani’s injury, indicating that Ohtani and his team would determine his course of action and timeline as they gathered additional opinions on his injury.
  • The Mariners have been one of the hottest teams in baseball this month, with an 18-5 since the start of August that’s pushed them to the top of the AL West standings. They’ve done all that without outfield Jarred Kelenic, who has been on the injured list with a fractured foot since kicking a water cooler last month. The 23-year-old youngster is recovering well from the incident with GM Justin Hollander indicating that Kelenic will begin a rehab assignment next week, as noted by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. While Hollander indicated that Kelenic’s rehab could be a lengthy one, he expressed confidence that the young outfielder will return at full strength before the end of the season. That’s great news for Seattle, which has primarily relied on Dominic Canzone (94 wRC+) in the weeks since Kelenic’s injury.
  • Sticking with the Mariners, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times notes that catcher Tom Murphy is expected to be cleared for an increase in baseball activities and intensity this week. Murphy has been on the injured list with a thumb sprain for the past two weeks. Prior to his injury, Murphy was the club’s primary backup to Cal Raleigh behind the plate and was having a superlative season in that role, slashing .290/.335/.538 with a wRC+ of 140 in 159 trips to the plate. With Murphy on the shelf, Seattle has relied on Brian O’Keefe as Raleigh’s backup.

Athletics Could Share Oracle Park With Giants Prior To Las Vegas Move

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The Athletics’ move to Las Vegas isn’t official but there’s little doubt at this point that it will eventually come to fruition. One complicating detail is where the club will play from 2025 to 2027, since their lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after 2024 and their new Vegas ballpark isn’t expected to be ready until 2028. In a recent conversation with Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, club president Dave Kaval mentioned that splitting Oracle Park with the Giants is one option, a possibility that John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle explored at greater length.

At this point, it’s not clear if such a plan is likely or even realistic, but it’s noteworthy that it is a path being considered. Some of the other options include staying in the Coliseum or playing out of Las Vegas Ballpark in the Summerlin South region of Las Vegas, the home of the Las Vegas Aviators, the Triple-A affiliate of the A’s.

“It really comes down to the league and the (players) union and their decision to what makes the most sense,” Kaval said to Akers. “We’re kind of deferring to them on that. We’re providing all the necessary information that they need. But in the end, we’re going to take direction from the league in the interim.”

Despite that deflection, there are reasons why the A’s might want to play their home games in San Francisco for a few years. As Shea points out, the A’s would continue to receive payouts from their regional sports network contract as long as they remain in the Bay Area. Their 25-year deal with NBC Sports California runs through 2033 and has an annual value close to $60MM. Moving the club out of the region, such as to the Aviators’ home ballpark, would mean leaving that money on the table.

Whether the Giants would be open to such an arrangement is another matter. Shea’s report indicates that the club wouldn’t be willing to have the A’s play more than 30-40 of their 81 home games at the facility, since taking on more than that would interfere with bookings for concerts, meetings, receptions and other activities when the Giants are on the road. There’s also the complication of adding a third clubhouse, as Shea reports the baseball operations staff wouldn’t want to constantly swap out all of the Giants’ gear for Athletics’ gear in the home clubhouse. But those complications aside, it would be a chance for the Giants to generate some extra revenue for a few years by charging the A’s rent. Shea adds that the Giants likely wouldn’t be keen on having Athletics’ tickets be cheaper than Giants’ games and thus undercut themselves on the market, meaning the pricing would have to be similar.

But the other options also have drawbacks. Staying in the Coliseum is complicated by the fact that the relationship between the A’s and Oakland has clearly become frosty in the wake of recent events. Moving to the Triple-A ballpark in Nevada also has complications, beyond losing the TV money. The ballpark has a capacity of just 10,000, limiting gate revenues, and doesn’t have a roof to help deal with the extreme heat of the summer.

Shea floats the possibility of playing in Summerlin to start the season before moving to San Francisco for the warmer months. That would allow them to tick all the boxes of sticking in the Bay Area and collecting the TV money, avoiding the peak Nevada heat and allowing the Giants to still rent out the venue for non-baseball events. However, that solution seems speculative and there’s nothing to indicate that’s a feasible option at the moment.

Earlier this week, owner John Fisher told Akers that the club has officially filed for relocation with MLB. They need 75% of ownership groups to sign off on the move, a vote that has not yet been scheduled, but it’s largely seen as a rubber stamp at this point. The club’s interim home is a significant unknown in the process, with the temporary relocation to San Francisco an intriguing possibility.

A’s Owner: “I Have Not Considered Selling The Team”

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Athletics owner John Fisher has become the subject of increasing levels of ire from a fanbase that has engineered “reverse boycotts” this season and initiated “sell the team” chants at parks throughout the league when the A’s are playing on the road. The vitriol is understandable from a group of fans that is none too pleased with the manner in which the team’s ostensible exit from Oakland has been ushered in, but Fisher unsurprisingly told Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal yesterday that those cries have largely fallen on deaf ears.

“I have not considered selling the team,” says Fisher, noting that he and partner Lew Wolff have owned the club since 2005. “… Our goal since then has been to find a new home and build a new home for our team.”

Fisher praised the “great success stories” of new ballparks elsewhere in the league, pointing specifically to Baltimore’s Camden Yards and Atlanta’s Truist Park. He demurred when asked whether the $380MM in public funding to which the state of Nevada and Clark County have committed would meaningfully impact player payroll, instead touting how much his own family plans to invest in the stadium.

Without delving into specifics, Fisher told Akers he “(expects) that our revenues will be considerably higher in our new ballpark than they have been to date, and that that will enable us to have a higher payroll.” Later in the interview, he claimed that the A’s expect an operating loss of $40MM this season and asserted the organization lost around $175MM during the 2020 pandemic season.

Fisher’s claim of the organization’s dire financial circumstances come at a time when the A’s have slashed spending and trotted out one of the worst rosters in recent history. The A’s are on pace for a 47-115 season that’d match the ’19 Orioles for the second-worst record of the past two decades.

The club is less than three years removed from a trio of consecutive playoff appearances, headlined by back-to-back 97-win rosters in 2018-19. Those teams were dismantled via a series of trades as the A’s sliced player payroll from a franchise-record $92MM range in 2019 to just under $57MM this season, as tabulated by Cot’s Baseball Contracts. As the quality of the on-field product has dropped and the franchise has explored relocation, the fanbase has increasingly stayed away. ESPN calculates the A’s average home attendance in 2023 at a little under 10,500 fans. That’s easily the lowest in the majors and just over half the approximate 20,500 average from 2019 — the last time the A’s had a playoff team in a season with fan attendance.

Fisher told Akers that the new stadium should allow the A’s to “keep our young talent around, as opposed to sadly seeing them go to other teams.” The A’s, of course, have regularly traded players to other clubs as their young talent reaches arbitration, often lamenting that the team’s market size, stadium and television contract don’t allow them to retain core players. The open question, naturally, is one of how strongly the A’s have tried to retain said talent. Oakland hasn’t brokered an extension with a pre-arbitration player in nearly a decade. Sean Doolitte’s four-year, $10MM contract was the last extension of its kind.

The A’s reportedly put forth an offer to Matt Chapman at one point, and perhaps they’ve made other attempts in the nine years since Doolittle signed his contract. But it’s difficult to imagine they’ve been as aggressive in trying to lock up homegrown talent as other small-market organizations like the Rays, Guardians, Brewers and Pirates have. The A’s have had dozens of high-quality players graduate from their farm over the years, and the lack of subsequent contract extensions is patently bizarre — particularly for an owner that laments his ability to retain stars and inability to field a competitive payroll; most early career extensions are signed at well below-market values. Perhaps the A’s don’t want to risk being locked into a long-term deal, but the potential “burden” of being bogged down by a pre-arb extension doesn’t seem any more glaring than signing an oft-injured Trevor Rosenthal to a one-year, $11MM pact a couple years back.

Rosenthal aside, the franchise has generally done little on the free agent market. The organization’s largest contract — a $66MM extension for Eric Chavez — predated the Fisher/Wolff ownership group. A $36MM guarantee for Yoenis Cespedes shortly after he defected from Cuba stands as their largest contract of the last 18 years. Among traditional MLB free agents, Billy Butler ($30MM), Ryan Madson ($22MM) and Scott Kazmir ($22MM) are the only players to whom they’ve given a contract exceeding $20MM.

As for the relocation process itself, Fisher told Akers that the A’s have officially submitted their application to MLB. They’ll need approval of 75% of ownership groups to sign off on the move to Vegas. That’s widely expected to be granted. Fisher indicated to Tim Keown of ESPN this evening that the vote has not yet been scheduled.

The A’s lease at the Coliseum runs through the 2024 campaign. The new stadium in Las Vegas isn’t expected to be ready before ’28, leaving the franchise with some uncertainty about their home in the intervening three seasons.

Rob Manfred Meets With Oakland Mayor To Discuss A’s Stadium Situation

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Since the Athletics announced back in April that they’d agreed to purchase land for a stadium site in Nevada, a relocation to Las Vegas has seemed like a foregone conclusion. Commissioner Rob Manfred did little to dispel that notion yesterday when detailing the Athletics’ progress in the relocation application process, but he also took a meeting with Oakland mayor Sheng Thao at her request during this week’s All-Star break, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. In a separate Q&A, Thao tells Rosenthal that she requested the sit-down in large part due to Manfred’s prior public claims that the city of Oakland had not put forth a stadium proposal.

“Through the press, we have heard that Manfred has stated there was no proposal,” said Thao, who arrived at the meeting with copies of 268 pages worth of design guidelines, development plans and transactional documentation. “We wanted to dispel that notion. If people were misinformed, we wanted to make sure everybody had all the real-time information of how close we were to a ballpark.”

Fans of the A’s and other clubs alike will want to read both pieces in full. The first piece contains direct links to the hundreds of pages of material Thao brought to the presentation, while Rosenthal’s Q&A with Thao provides on-record stances from the first-term mayor, who was elected to her position back in January.

Thao repeatedly emphasized that her priority is to keep the A’s in Oakland, citing (among other factors) the larger market size, the less extreme weather and the larger plot of land for the A’s; the city’s Howard Terminal proposal includes a 100-acre real estate development, as opposed to the current nine-acre plot being discussed in Las Vegas.

Asked whether the city would be amenable to an expansion franchise following the potential relocation of the A’s, Thao replied that Las Vegas is the more logical site for an expansion club, citing the Athletics’ 50-year history in Oakland and pointing to the longstanding ties to fans in the city. Critics will surely point out the perennially poor attendance, but Thao countered by calling that factor a two-way street.

“You can’t divest from a team to make them one of the worst teams in the league — the fans know it, owners know it, everyone knows it — and then expect there to be a strong fanbase as well,” she told Rosenthal. “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.”

For his part, Manfred simply told Rosenthal that he and Thao had a “good meeting.” He told Thao he’d pass the contents of her presentation onto MLB’s three-person relocation committee. Thao told Rosenthal the city is very much open to continuing to work with the A’s and work on its proposal. It still feels like a long shot, given that the Nevada senate recently approved the team’s stadium plan and governor Joe Lombardo recently signed a bill proposing $380MM in public funding.

Indeed, while A’s hopefuls may see a glimmer of hope with Manfred and Thao meeting, Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets that a source called the meeting “much [ado] about nothing,” adding that it’s likely “too little, too late” for the city of Oakland in its efforts to rekindle talks.

Manfred Discusses Pitch Clock, Automatic Strike Zone, A’s Relocation Application

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Prior to today’s All-Star Game, commissioner Rob Manfred and Players Association executive director Tony Clark each met with reporters. The interviews covered various topics on the state of the game.

Clark indicated the MLBPA would like to discuss potentially relaxing some pace of play rules during the postseason (link via Jesse Rogers of ESPN). Such things as adding time to the pitch clock or increasing the number of mound disengagements for pitchers could be of interest to the union.

“Considering you just played a 162-game season, nobody is looking to play 3½- to 4-hour games,” Clark told reporters. “I don’t think a few seconds here or there is going to create a 3½- to 4-hour game.” Pitchers are permitted 15 seconds to begin their delivery with no one on base and 20 seconds to start throwing with a baserunner aboard. Hitters must be ready by the time the clock hits the eight-second mark. Pitchers are allowed two disengagements from the mound per plate appearance.

The MLBPA doesn’t have the ability to change those provisions. On-field rules changes are at the discretion of a competition committee comprising mostly league officials. Manfred suggested MLB might be open to adjusting the pitch clock for the playoffs but didn’t sound especially enthusiastic about the idea.

“We don’t want a postseason game decided by a rules violation, and I understand it’s a possibility,” the commissioner said (link via Bob Nightengale of USA Today). “In terms of doing something for the postseason, we’re going to continue to talk to the players. I think you ought to play the postseason the way you play the regular season. There’s exceptions. I’m open-minded on that topic. But I prefer to keep the same rules in the regular season and postseason.”

Of course, the league has already signed off on one major change between regular season and postseason play. The extra-inning runner is strictly a regular season provision; there are no free baserunners in the playoffs.

Manfred also addressed a few other big-picture items. Regarding the potential implementation of an automatic strike zone, the commissioner reiterated his preference for the challenge system over a full move to computer ball/strike calls (link via Associated Press). MLB has experimented with both potential avenues in the minor leagues.

The challenge setup primarily relies upon the home plate umpire to call balls and strikes. Pitchers, hitters and catchers are given a finite number of times they can contest a call. Manfred has previously suggested that setup better strikes a balance of preserving the receiving component of catcher defense while decreasing the odds of a very meaningful missed call at important stages of the game. As the AP notes, the challenge system was in place for last weekend’s Futures Game. Four calls were challenged; three were confirmed.

Regardless, it doesn’t seem any changes to the strike zone are coming next season. Nightengale hears from a league official that no automatic zone is likely to be in place before the 2025 campaign at the earliest as MLB continues to refine the tracking technology.

While there’s been plenty of attention on the on-field rule changes in recent years, one could argue the biggest story of the 2023 MLB season has been the A’s efforts to relocate to Las Vegas. Manfred said this afternoon the franchise has begun to provide the league with information regarding its relocation application but has yet to submit a full proposal (link via Alden González of ESPN). That’s the final significant step after the A’s secured $380MM in public funding for a ballpark in Las Vegas last month.

Once the A’s finalize their proposal, it’ll go in front of a three-person relocation committee. As first reported last week by Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Phillies’ owner John Middleton and Royals’ owner John Sherman join Milwaukee’s Mark Attanasio on the committee. The proposal will then go in front of all 30 owners for a vote. The A’s need 75% approval to officially relocate, which they’re expected to receive.

A’s Preparing Application To MLB For Relocation

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The Athletics have begun the process to officially apply to Major League Baseball for relocation, writes Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It’s unclear how long they’ll need before they can officially put their relocation efforts up for a vote.

This is no surprise, of course. Nevada lawmakers signed off on the A’s request for $380MM in public funding last week as part of their efforts to construct a $1.5 billion stadium on the Vegas Strip. That permitted the A’s to turn their attention to MLB, the last step in their move to depart Oakland for Southern Nevada.

Once finalized, the application will go in front of a three-owner relocation committee. After review, that committee makes its recommendations to league officials and other owners for a vote. If 75% of ownership groups sign off, the A’s will finalize their move to Las Vegas. That’s all expected to be an easy final hurdle for the organization. With commissioner Rob Manfred backing the A’s efforts and indicating the league is prepared to waive the franchise’s relocation fee, there’s little intrigue about the results of the forthcoming vote.

The A’s lease at RingCentral Coliseum runs through the end of next season. Akers wrote last week the club had not yet made any efforts to break the lease, suggesting they’re likely to play in Oakland for one more year. The permanent Las Vegas facility isn’t expected to be ready until the start of the 2028 campaign, leaving the franchise to figure out temporary options for home games between 2025-27.

Nevada Governor Signs A’s Stadium Bill

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This afternoon, Nevada governor Joe Lombardo signed the bill proposing $380MM in public funding for the construction of a Las Vegas ballpark. Sean Golonka, Tabitha Mueller and Jacob Solis of the Nevada Independent and Steve Sebelius of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were among those to cover the news.

Lombardo’s signature was the final governmental hurdle for the A’s to clear before they can formally apply to MLB for relocation. Lombardo has been a strong proponent of the plan, so there was never any doubt he’d sign after the bill was passed by the Nevada legislature earlier in the week.

“I’m excited to officially sign SB1 this afternoon,” Lombardo said in a statement. “This is an incredible opportunity to bring the A’s to Nevada, and this legislation reflects months of negotiations between the team, the state, the county, and the league. Las Vegas’ position as a global sports destination is only growing, and Major League Baseball is another tremendous asset for the city.”

The plan calls for the construction of a 30,000 seat retractable roof facility on the Vegas Strip. The A’s will receive $180MM in state tax credits which they’re allowed to sell to other businesses for cash, around $120MM in county-issued bonds, and a $25MM county credit. According to the Nevada Independent, the A’s will still need to hammer out various contracts with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority to codify the organization’s community benefits and non-relocation commitments. They’ll also still need approval from the FAA since the stadium site is within close proximity to Harry Reid International Airport.

None of that is expected to present real obstacles to relocation, which now seems all but inevitable. The next step for the A’s is to put their proposal in front of MLB officials. Commissioner Rob Manfred has already stated he’d waive the organization’s relocation fee.

Manfred addressed the process at the end of this week’s owners meetings in New York (relayed by Evan Drellich of the Athletic). The league is expected to put together a relocation committee to review the A’s proposal once it’s filed. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link) the committee will be chaired by Brewers’ owner Mark Attansasio, who’ll be joined by two yet to be determined owners.

The commissioner declined to put a timetable on a potential relocation vote. Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggested this week a vote was likely to occur before the All-Star Break. If/when the league approves, the A’s can set in motion their construction efforts.

The A’s lease at Oakland Coliseum runs through the end of the 2024 season. Reports have suggested the A’s are targeting 2028 for the opening of the Vegas facility. A’s president Dave Kaval said in April the franchise hadn’t yet decided on its plans for the 2025-27 campaigns.

Kaval suggested the organization could look into a temporary lease extension at the Coliseum to bridge that gap, though the animosity between the franchise and Oakland leadership makes that appear unlikely. The A’s Triple-A affiliate, the Aviators, play in Las Vegas and could temporarily host the major league club. Manfred said today there’s been no final decision as to whether the A’s could attempt to get out of their lease early and play at the Triple-A ballpark as soon as next season.

Nevada Senate, Assembly Approve A’s Stadium Plan

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JUNE 14, 8:02pm: The Senate has concurred with the Assembly’s amendments, tweets Howard Stutz of the Nevada Independent. The bill is officially headed to Lombardo’s desk for ratification.

JUNE 14, 7:19pm: The State Assembly passed the proposal by a 25-15 vote after making a few minor amendments, Mueller relays (Twitter link). Those changes will have to be agreed upon by the State Senate, though that’s not expected to be an issue.

If/when the Senate concurs with the Assembly’s amendments, the bill can officially go to Lombardo for ratification. At that point, the A’s will be able to formally ask MLB for approval to relocate.

JUNE 13: On Tuesday afternoon, the Nevada State Senate voted 13-8 in favor of the A’s proposal for roughly $380MM in public funding to construct a stadium in Las Vegas. Jacob Solis, Sean Golonka and Tabitha Mueller of the Nevada Independent were among those to cover the news.

It’s a notable hurdle cleared for A’s ownership. The bill will be put in front of the state assembly tomorrow afternoon. If approved by the assembly, it’d go to Governor Joe Lombardo’s office for ratification. Lombardo has been a strong supporter of the legislation and would be expected to ratify. At that point, the A’s could formally apply MLB for relocation.

MLB’s owners are conducting a quarterly meeting in New York this week. However, the A’s stadium situation has not been put on the docket. Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that no vote on relocation is likely to take place this week even if the bill clears the assembly and governor’s office within the next few days. Nightengale notes that such a vote would likely take place before next month’s All-Star Break, though.

There’s little question about the A’s finding support from Lombardo or MLB. Commissioner Rob Manfred has publicly backed the franchise’s efforts, agreeing to waive the relocation fee to facilitate the move. (As Joe Garofoli and John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle write, a pair of Bay Area representatives announced the introduction of a bill this morning that would require a departing franchise to pay a decade’s worth of local and state taxes to their former location. However, there’s little expectation of that measure gaining legitimate traction in Congress.)

Assuming the A’s get approval from the Nevada assembly, it’s highly likely their relocation plan will be successful. Their efforts had slowed in the past few weeks, as their push for public funding hit an initial snag in the state senate. As Golonka, Mueller and Solis wrote this morning, the bill’s proponents made some alterations to the franchise’s community benefits agreement that evidently tipped enough voters in favor of the proposal.

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