Another Oakland to Las Vegas Move?

It's no secret that the Oakland A's need a new stadium.  That's been the case for years, and MLB is really starting to press the issue.  And, after multiple attempts to find a location either in Oakland or elsewhere in the Bay Area (which the Giants would need to approve, complicating matters significantly), a move to Las Vegas is beginning to look more and more likely.  So likely, in fact, that, should they decide to move, MLB has waived the relocation fee.

When the Expos moved to Washington, they were owned by MLB at the time, so no fee was charged then either, but it is common practice across the major pro sports.  The Rams and Chargers paid $645 million each to return to Los Angeles, and the Raiders' move to Las Vegas cost them a relocation fee of $378 million.  An A's move, meanwhile, could net a relocation fee of as much as $1 billion.  (Should MLB decide to expand again eventually, the expansion fee could top $2 billion.)

What's unclear is whether Oakland would be charged a relocation fee should it move somewhere other than Las Vegas.  But the message is clear.  The A's have full approval to move to Las Vegas, perhaps as early as 2025.

Of course, this is all contingent on them getting a stadium in Las Vegas.  While they'd likely get some public funds, the team would likely be on the hook for most of the financing of that stadium, which would need to have a retractable roof (way too hot in the desert in the summer), adding to the cost.  So, not having to pay a relocation fee would go a long way in helping fund the Las Vegas stadium.

While it's not a done deal, it's pretty obvious MLB would prefer have the A's in Las Vegas than in Oakland.  Just like it was obvious during the Expos' final years in Montreal that they would rather have a team in Washington.  So, it really seems like it's more a matter of when the A's move to Las Vegas as opposed to if they will.

And, frankly, it looks like they're getting ready to move.  Because they've been working on getting a new stadium in the Bay Area with very little luck.  While they claim that's still the truth (and it very well might be), they sure haven't given the people of Oakland any reason to think they're in it for the long haul, though.

Consider: The A's, in their perpetual state of rebuilding, sold off their best players and completely gutted the roster.  Meanwhile, they also raised ticket prices...to watch what everyone knew would be a bad team.  In a 50-year-old stadium that's a piece of crap.  Is it any surprise then that they have the lowest attendance in baseball?  They draw less than 10,000 a game!

Fans in Oakland have every reason to be skeptical, too.  After all, just within the past few years, they've seen the Warriors move across the Bay to San Francisco and the Raiders leave town for a second time.  That leaves just the A's, so you'd actually think the city would put on the full court press to make sure they stick around.  But that, unfortunately, has not been the case.  And the stalemate is what's led to them looking elsewhere.

After looking at a site in San Jose about 10 years ago, the A's have focused their efforts on the Oakland waterfront.  The renderings of the proposed 35,000-seat stadium are beautiful!  The project has the mayor's support, but some are skeptical of the location, claiming it could negatively impact port operations.  There's actually a public vote scheduled later this week.  If the stadium proposal is shot down, the chances of the A's staying in Oakland decrease dramatically.

So, really, the fate of the Oakland A's could come down to that vote.  If the stadium gets the go-ahead, they'll presumably stay in Oakland long-term.  If it doesn't, it's back to square one.  And, after trying and failing so many times in Oakland, Las Vegas really does seem like the only viable option.

Las Vegas has long been the most sought-after potential market for every league.  And that was before the Golden Knights ever existed.  They've since proved that Vegas is, indeed, a Major League town.  Then the Raiders moved there and showed that fans in Las Vegas will support a transplanted team, too.  (Plus, the fact that the gambling stigma isn't just gone, but leagues openly promote their relationships with the sports gambling websites obviously works in Las Vegas' favor.)

Baseball would be something different entirely, though.  The Golden Knights only play 41 home games a year and the Raiders only play eight.  Baseball teams have 81 home games.  It's nightly entertainment when they're home.  Of course, with all of the entertainment options in Las Vegas, especially during the summer, do fans really want to spend three hours watching a baseball game?  Well, seeing as the Las Vegas Aviators have led Triple-A in attendance in each of the last two seasons, I'd say the answer to that question is "Yes."  (The Aviators and A's actually have very similar attendance numbers.)

Another key note here is that the Aviators are Oakland's Triple-A affiliate.  So the fans are already familiar with some of the names who could be with the big club by the time any relocation becomes official.  While that's certainly not the deciding factor, the fact that fans in the city are already coming out to see their Minor League team has to make Las Vegas even more attractive to the A's.

The Raiders left Oakland for Las Vegas, leaving the A's alone.  They may be reunited again soon.  Because it seems like just a matter of time until the A's move to Las Vegas themselves.