Owners of teams in two of the Oakland Athletics’ former cities will play a part in deciding if the franchise should move to Las Vegas.
Philadelphia Phillies CEO John Middleton and Kansas City Royals CEO John Sherman will serve on Major League Baseball’s relocation committee, a person familiar of the situation told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The two join Milwaukee Brewers chairman Mark Attanasio, who last month was appointed by baseball commissioner Rob Manfred to chair the relocation committee. That group will evaluate the team’s application, define the new operating territory and television territory, then make a recommendation to Manfred and the eight-man executive council.
The council provides a recommendation to all 30 MLB clubs, which must approve the move to Southern Nevada by at least three-quarters vote.
There has been no announced timetable for MLB to consider a relocation, but the A’s began the application process last month. There’s no indication of when the team will file that application to the MLB for the review process to begin.
Oakland’s lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and the A’s, who have the worst record, lowest attendance and smallest payroll in the major leagues, say they hope to move to a new ballpark in Las Vegas.
The A’s will look to play outside of the Coliseum for the 2025-2027 seasons before potentially moving into their proposed $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat ballpark on the Strip.
Las Vegas would become the fourth home for a franchise that began in Philadelphia from 1901-54, moved to Kansas City for 13 seasons and arrived in Oakland for 1968.
The Legislature approved providing up to $380 million in public financing for a proposed retractable roof ballpark on the Tropicana hotel site. The A’s began looking at Las Vegas a potential relocation site in May 2021.
The stadium would be close to Allegiant Stadium, where the Raiders moved to from Oakland in 2020, and T-Mobile Arena, where the Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights started play.
Since the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers for 1972, the only team to relocate has been the Montreal Expos, who became the Washington Nationals in 2005.
Contact Mick Akers at [email protected] or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
