Athletics Set To Visit Las Vegas, Portland On ‘Baseball Fact Finding Mission’
May 24, 2021, 10:52 AM | Updated: 10:57 am
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Owner John Fisher, president Dave Kaval & vice president Billy Beane will all be traveling to investigate new possibilities for relocating the franchise
The threat of relocation seems to be growing by the day for the Oakland Athletics, as a front-office contingent will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada this week and Portland, Oregon next week as the team continues to explore relocating the franchise.
Per John Canzano of The Oregonian, owner John Fisher, team president Dave Kaval, vice president Billy Beane and executive Sandy Dean are visiting Las Vegas this week and will also be in Portland next week to do some fact finding as the franchise attempts to navigate the murky waters of an uncertain future in California.
The A’s have made it clear that they will not stand pat as July’s Oakland City Council vote on the Howard Terminal proposal approaches, with visits to Las Vegas and Portland acting as the starting point for evaluating other possibilities.
A vote is expected from the Oakland City Council this summer on the $12 billion Howard Terminal proposal.
Oakland’s lease at the RingCentral Coliseum runs through the 2024 season.
Kaval has stated that the team will not continue to play in the Coliseum once the lease ends in 2024, meaning that if the A’s are to remain in Oakland, a solution must be reached sooner than later.
Until then, the meetings with other cities will continue as the possibility of Oakland losing its third professional sports franchise in as many years continues to grow.
