LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — 30 Major League Baseball owners gathered on Thursday morning and voted to unanimously approve the Oakland Athletics' relocation to Las Vegas.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed following the vote that the relocation process would be moving forward for the Oakland Athletics after much frustration and confusion among fans and players alike.
The A's released the following statement from Athletics Managing Partner and Owner John Fisher regarding the vote:
“I want to express my gratitude to the owners and Commissioner for their thoughtful deliberation and positive votes in favor of our relocation to Las Vegas.
Today marks a significant moment for our franchise, and it’s met with mixed emotions - sadness for this change and excitement for our future. I know this is a hard day for our fans in Oakland. We made sincere efforts to keep our team in Oakland, but unfortunately, it did not work out. I am grateful to the fans who have supported our team throughout the years and the home Oakland provided. The storied history of our franchise includes three cities over the past century: Oakland, along with Kansas City and Philadelphia, will always be part of this franchise’s DNA.
We are excited to begin this next chapter in Las Vegas. I want to thank the Las Vegas and Nevada community for welcoming us. We will continue to work hard to bring home more championships for our fans and for our new home in Vegas.”
During a press conference following the vote, Manfred shared insight on the team's journey toward a relocation vote.
"There was an effort over more than a decade to find a stadium solution in Oakland — it was John Fisher's preference, it was my preference," he said. "As a matter of fact, the first trip I made after I was elected commissioner was to Oakland to talk to John about trying to get something done there."
Manfred said, once Las Vegas became an option for the team, "There was never a deal in Oakland."
Manfred says the appointed Relocation Committee spent "more hours" in a "relatively discreet" period of time than he's ever seen in the league. He added, "There was no aspect of this issue left unturned, including what the Oakland opportunity was, what the Las Vegas opportunity was, how we ended up here, and what Las Vegas was going to do for Major League Baseball."
From there, Manfred said the committee made a set of recommendations, which he adopted without change and passed them along to the Executive Council. During Thursday's vote, 30 MLB owners voted to approve the relocation unanimously — and Manfred confirmed that he did waive their relocation fees.
"Ultimately, we felt that a relocation fee in this particular situation was inappropriate," Manfred said. "There was significant expenditures by John Fisher and his family to get this stadium built. It's a billion-and-a-half-dollar project that was really important."
He added, "We also felt that in terms of the public support that was available, the waiving of a relocation fee made that support stronger. "
Manfred also acknowledged the growing pushback from A's fans in Oakland on the relocation, saying, "This is a terrible day for fans in Oakland; I understand that. That's why we've always had a policy of doing everything humanly possible to avoid a relocation. And I truly believe we did that in this case."
He added, "I think it's beyond debate that the status quo in Oakland was untenable, and I absolutely am convinced that there was not a viable path forward in Oakland."
After years of complaints about the Oakland Coliseum and an inability to gain government assistance for a new ballpark in the Bay area, the A’s plan to move to a stadium to be built on the Las Vegas Strip with $380 million in public financing approved by the Nevada government.
"I have no issue with the city of Oakland or the mayor, and we tried very hard to make a deal in Oakland," Manfred said. "We did that out of respect for the fans in Oakland. I hope they understand that at some point, a facility deteriorates to the level that it's just not a major league facility and that if you look at the situation objectively, we had no choice but to move on."
The A’s lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and it remains unclear where the team will play before a new ballpark opens in 2027 at the earliest. During the press conference, Manfred revealed that the league is "exploring a variety of alternatives," including possibly
staying at the Coliseum until the new ballpark is finished.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao also weighed in following the vote, reaffirming the city's commitment to keeping the A's by whatever means possible.
"We are disappointed by the outcome of this vote," Mayor Thao said in a statement. "But we do not see this as the end of the road."
Statement from @MayorShengThao on reported MLB owners vote to allow for relocation of Oakland A’s pic.twitter.com/ug0JdusD98
— Bryan Horwath (@bryanhorwath) November 16, 2023
Manfred continued, "We look forward to being in Las Vegas. [There is] tremendous support locally for having the A's there, and we believe that Las Vegas will be a great asset to Major League Baseball over the long haul."
