Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics on Wednesday announced they have signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a future ballpark in Las Vegas.
"We realize this is a difficult day for our Oakland fans and community. For more than 20 years, the A’s have focused on securing a new home for the Club, and have invested unprecedented time and resources for the past six years to build a ballpark in Oakland. Even with support from fans, leaders at the city, county, and state level, and throughout the broader community, the process to build a new ballpark in Oakland has made little forward progress for some time."
The statement claims the organization has made a strong and "sincere" commitment to staying in Oakland. "We are disappointed that we have been unable to achieve our shared vision of a waterfront ballpark. As we shift our focus to Vegas, we will continue to share details about next steps."
The team and the city of Oakland have been in a long debate over a proposed ballpark at Howard Terminal.
The A's proposed $1 billon privately financed
ballpark along the waterfront recently won a legal victory, when an Alameda County Superior Court judge deemed the environmental review of the stadium project and surrounding development sufficient. Those plans now appear dead in the water.
Las Vegas Review Journal reported the agreement is for 49 acres, just west of the strip.
MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred told the paper they support the team and hope to finalize the process by the end of the year.
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