Elephant Rumblings: Four more years of A’s baseball at the Coliseum?

Happy Sunday, Athletics Nation! Hope your weekend is going well. A win in Boston today would help, wouldn’t it?

John Shea at the San Francisco Chronicle discussed where the A’s might play when the team’s lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season. With funding secured in Las Vegas, the A’s are now projecting their new stadium on The Strip will open in 2028. If a relocation plays out according to that timeline, the team will need a transitional home for three seasons.

A number of potential sites are mentioned in Shea’s article: the Aviators ballpark in suburban Las Vegas, other minor-league facilities in Reno and Sacramento, and Oracle Park.

Oh yeah—I almost forgot the Coliseum, which according to MLBPA executive committee member Austin Slater is the option that “works out best.” Where the A’s would play out their transitional years is subject to approval by the players’ union.

The Aviators’ facility in Summerlin is “big-league ready” according to Slater, but its capacity is only 10,000, and temperatures regularly hit triple digits in the summer. MLB sometimes requires day games to accommodate travel schedules.

The other two minor-league sites are decidedly below big-league standards.

Shea weighs numerous pros and cons with Oracle Park, but Slater said “It just doesn’t really feel right.”

Deliberations on a transitional venue will begin in earnest after the A’s relocation plan is submitted to MLB, assuming it gains traction. An A’s spokesperson and Alameda County Supervisors Board President Nate Miley have both indicated they are open to extending the A’s lease at the Coliseum.

So, AN: how about four more years of Oakland A’s baseball? Can’t say I hate the thought of it—but I sure hope the organization will invest more in their on-field product if it happens.

A’s Coverage:

• Ashford: MLB Futures Game recap: NL tops AL as two A’s prospects start game
• Polito: Athletics drop second straight to the Red Sox in Boston 10-3
• Willis: 2023 MLB Futures Game: Rosters, Start Time, Streaming info
• Shea: A’s Coliseum lease ends in 2024, Vegas stadium opens 2028. Where will they play 2025-27? ($)
• Martin: MLB mock draft: Who experts predict A’s will select at No. 6
• Shea: MLB union chief expresses ‘concerns in Oakland’ as A’s seek move to Las Vegas ($)

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