MLB owners will vote this week on Oakland A's bid to move to Las Vegas; here's what's happened and what's next

 

After a summer of reverse boycotts and "SELL THE TEAM" chants, Oakland A's fans this week are bracing to hear the words they've been dreading for months: MLB owners have approved the A's relocation to Las Vegas.

Tuesday, all 30 owners will gather in Arlington, Texas, for the winter owner's meetings. At the top of the agenda is the A's pending move, with a vote expected to come at the end of the week.

If 75 percent of the owners (23 of them) approve the vote, owner John Fisher will have cleared a major hurdle in his efforts to move the A's after 55 years in Oakland. The vote is expected to pass.

"It's the next step," said David Samson, the former president of the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins who was involved with relocation efforts for both teams. "It's a step. It's not the final step. Even with a relocation approval vote, that doesn't mean Oakland is losing its team.

"What they will approve is for the A's to relocate to Las Vegas. But that's not baseball approving the finished documents."

The relocation process clearly is a long one. Even with a "yes" vote there are still plenty of obstacles the A's must clear. Here is a look at what's happened and what's ahead.

After enduring a decades-long pursuit of a new stadium to replace the dilapidated Coliseum, the A's in August filed a formal application to relocate. The application was submitted to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. It required the A's to present the efforts they made to stay in Oakland and why moving to Las Vegas is a better option.

Opponents of the move have pointed out that the A's would be leaving the sixth-largest media market in the country for the 44th. They would move into the smallest television market in the big leagues, according to Nielsen DMA ranking.

The application was reviewed by a three-person relocation committee that was hand-selected by Manfred. That committee included Kansas City Royals CEO John Sherman, Philadelphia Phillies CEO John Middleton and Milwaukee Brewers Chairman Mark Attanasio. (For what it's worth, Sherman is seeking a new stadium in Kansas City and Attanasio recently received $545 million in public funding to upgrade the Brewers' current ballpark.)

During the process, the committee makes a presentation to Manfred and an executive council of eight unknown owners who serve terms and get replaced when their term has been served. The presentation must include recommendations on operating territory and television territory, among other details.

The A's must also present a viable option on a temporary home before the vote can take place, ESPN reported last month.

They have just one year left on their lease at the Coliseum, and it's uncertain where they'll play from 2025 until their new ballpark is completed — likely not until at least the 2028 season.

Team president Dave Kaval told the Nevada Independent in August that the three possible locations were at the Coliseum, at Oracle Park while sharing the stadium with the San Francisco Giants, or at Las Vegas Ballpark, the home of the A's Triple-A affiliate which seats only 10,000 people and where current accommodations are unlikely to pass muster with the players union.

Tony Clark, who leads the MLBPA, told the L.A. Times this summer, "We are going to be a part of that conversation in one fashion or another, to ensure that the quality of play and the standard to which players are accustomed and the safety that is required for players to play on any surface is adhered to."

The A's temporary home is "something that Major League Baseball will ultimately decide," Kaval told the Independent.

They'll need to find a temporary home after next season. Extending their lease at the Coliseum would be difficult. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said this week that an extension would only happen if Oakland was guaranteed a future expansion team and retention of the A's branding.

As we head into the biggest week in Oakland A's history, the only thing that is known for certain is that the team has one more year on its lease and plenty of good seats remain.