Utah may be close to striking out with the Oakland Athletics.
As community leaders in Utah continue their push to land the historic franchise for a temporary three season stay, the San Francisco Chronicle reported last week that the A’s are “seriously considering” going to Sacramento instead.
The organization plans to permanently relocate to Las Vegas but will not have a stadium ready until 2028 at the earliest. Its existing stadium lease in Oakland expires at the end of the current campaign.
The A’s have been exploring three possible options while in limbo between the two cities: obtain a lease extension to temporarily remain in Oakland, head to Sacramento or play in South Jordan’s new Salt Lake Bees ballpark.
The Chronicle reported that multiple industry sources have said the Sacramento option will win out.
Vivek Ranadive, owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, is friends with A’s owner John Fisher and dreams of owning an MLB franchise. Sources told the Chronicle he could be a major player in Fisher’s decision-making. Advantage, Sacramento.
ESPN has also reported that Sacramento’s effort “has gained traction in recent weeks,” in part due to Fisher being able to keep a larger percentage of the team’s $67 million of yearly local television revenue in that potential deal than he would pocket in a deal with Utah.
As the Deseret News previously reported, officials from the Larry H. Miller Company hosted A’s executives in January to pitch their ability to “accommodate their ballpark needs.” They said the Bees ballpark under construction in South Jordan’s Daybreak development could be expanded to 10,000-12,000 seats for MLB action.
The Larry H. Miller Company then announced in February that it intends to put $3.5 billion into a mixed-use stadium development project in the city’s west side power district, which could include a ballpark if Utah gets an MLB expansion team, as the Deseret News reported at the time.
In March, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox signed bills HB562 and SB272, which proposed investing $900 million to support funding for both a major league ballpark and a new arena.
ESPN lead baseball insider Jeff Passan wrote in February that Salt Lake was a top candidate for MLB expansion along with Nashville, but that the league was unlikely to add any new franchises in the current decade due to stadium uncertainty for both the Tampa Bay Rays and the A’s.
Oakland’s move to Las Vegas remains complicated, with Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman even expressing her doubts in February and saying the team’s stadium plan “doesn’t make sense,” as the Deseret News previously reported.
The A’s plan to build a new ballpark on the site of the recently closed Tropicana resort on the strip.