The Athletics are betting their future in Las Vegas will help them keep stars and attract free agents, with two major assets now in place: a $2 billion ballpark under construction on the Strip and an experience center in the southwest valley.
General manager David Forst said the combination has become a powerful recruiting pitch, especially as the team prepares to play two more seasons in Sacramento before moving to Las Vegas in 2028.
“I think this experience center and the site itself are the best recruiting tools we have,” Forst said. “Every day that we get closer to 2028, it becomes more real for players.”
Forst noted that many players are still unaware of the project’s progress. Outfielder Tyler Soderstrom, who signed a six-year, $86 million contract extension in late December, toured the ballpark site before finalizing the deal.
“The excitement of the ballpark alone, it’s going to be on the Las Vegas Strip, plenty of things to do for family and friends, kind of the overall excitement of the new stadium,” Soderstrom said. “I got to stand at home plate today. I got to stand at left field. I got to stand on this new stadium that has not been built yet, and I get to see it come to fruition.”
Manager Kotsay touts lifestyle, tax benefits
Manager Mark Kotsay, who bought a home in Henderson last year, said he can answer players’ questions about living in Southern Nevada, including the absence of state income tax.
“First and foremost, it’s the nucleus of the team that you’d be joining,” Kotsay said. “Secondly, there’s a lot of monetary bonuses that come along with being here for Nevada.”
He emphasized the community feel beyond the Strip, noting hiking at Red Rock and biking on open highways as attractions.
“Once you live here and get into the community, it’s a really tight-knit, local feel, that everyone will rally around,” Kotsay said.
Forst: Long wait finally paying off
Forst, who has been with the organization for 25 years, said seeing the stadium rise on the south Strip is a dream realized after years of failed proposals.
“When we opened this place (experience center in early December), and I stood in the cube, you have the feeling of being in the ballpark,” Forst said. “It’s hard to describe how long we’ve been waiting for that and how it changes what we’re doing.”
The general manager said the team can now move away from its transactional roster-building approach.
“We’ve always been this transactional group, where we know we have a good team but then we know we have to turn it over. To get to the point where we don’t have to operate that way, it’s kind of the reason we do this job,” Forst said.
