According to various sport news outlets, the Oakland A's are looking for possible relocation of the team if Oakland does not allow them to build a new stadium.
The A's have played in Oakland since 1968, a lot of Bay Area sports fans definitely don't want to see them go. Some cities have shown interest in gaining the A's, one possibility is for them to move to Las Vegas.
Long time A's fans took to social media to express their displeasure after years of negotiations and attempts by The A's to get a new stadium deal done.
The mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaff, responded to The Athletic's threat to leave Oakland in a statement per her spokesperson that read:
“We share MLB’s sense of urgency and their continued preference for Oakland. Today’s statement makes clear that the only viable path to keeping the A’s rooted in Oakland is a ballpark on the waterfront. We have made great strides with the Governor’s certification and release of the EIR. Now, with the recent start of financial discussions with the A’s, we call on our entire community – regional and local partners included — to rally together and support a new, financially viable, fiscally responsible, world class waterfront neighborhood that enhances our city and region, and keeps the A’s in Oakland where they belong.”
Since November 2018, the A’s announced they had found a waterfront location for their new ballpark that would cost more than $1 billion. The state of the art new ballpark would feature picturesque views toward San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and Port of Oakland. Originally, the goal had been to open in 2023. Now, even if approved by Oakland’s City Council this summer it would not be ready until 2027.
In a statement released via the A’s Twitter account, MLB said it was “concerned with the rate of progress on the A’s new ballpark efforts with local officials and other stakeholders in Oakland.”
“The Oakland Coliseum site is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball,” the MLB said.
Kaval also said the A’s are "immediately" working on exploring the possibility of other markets.
Early 2021, Kaval asked the Oakland City Council to make a decision via a vote before it breaks for the summer. The vote was for a the $12 billion privately funded ballpark project and major community development plan featuring $450 million in community benefits. Unfortunately, the team has been given no indication anything is imminent.
Recall, the A's were at one point willing to move to Fremont to keep the A's in the Bay Area. If the City cannot figure this out, who can blame the A's for leaving.