I feel like every team is leaving Oakland now, but, why?
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Ultimately it’s because the stadium is outdated and not fan or team friendly and the team ownership couldn’t get a new stadium construction deal in the Oakland area.
Basically Oakland wanted the team to build a new stadium near the current stadium because the infrastructure is in place; the team refused that and wanted to build a new stadium in a different part of town where they also wanted to do other developments they could profit from. The city didn’t want to commit to that plan from the A’s because they weren’t comfortable with the redevelopment plan.
So there was a standstill.
Meanwhile, the NFL that shared the stadium with the A’s, the Raiders, got a sweetheart deal in the entertainment mecca Las Vegas for a modern stadium.
So the A’s owner wanted something similar, and Las Vegas and the state of Nevada agreed to fund much of not most of the cost of a new baseball stadium. The A’s bought land in Las Vegas for the stadium to be built on.
The problem is the stadium in Las Vegas won’t be ready for at least four years.
The A’s needed a place to play until then because Las Vegas has a minor league stadium that the MLB players union will not allow A’s games to be played in because Las Vegas has very hot summers. And the A’s and Oakland could not come to an agreement on a temporary lease for the A’s to keep playing at the Oakland Coliseum. And for some reason, the A’s didn’t make a deal to play across the SF Bay to play in the SF Giant’s home stadium.
So the A’s found the minor league stadium in Sacramento, CA as acceptable as a temporary home for three or four seasons.
So the A’s are relocating, the new home is not ready, and their current lease is ending.
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