Athletics

The Oakland A's have a binding agreement to build a $1.5 billion baseball stadium on a 49-acre site in Las Vegas for their impending move to the city, but the franchise is reportedly exploring alternatives.

According to Howard Stutz and Tabitha Mueller of The Nevada Independent, the A's have revisited the possibility of "Southern Nevada sites the team previously considered as a potential backup plan should the team fail to secure legislative support for a $500 million tax package."

Last month, it was reported that the A's were "close to finalizing" an agreement to build a ballpark north of Allegiant Stadium where the Las Vegas Raiders play. The plan is to construct a 35,000-seat retractable roof stadium and a surrounding entertainment district to be ready for a move by 2027, and the A's "are still focused on acquiring" the 49-acre site amid their probe for alternatives.

Per Stutz and Mueller, Oakland "is looking to state lawmakers for a $500 million package involving tax credits and the creation of a special taxation district to help fund stadium construction." However, state lawmakers have yet to propose such legislation and Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) said last week that the team was running out of time to get legislative approval for the tax package.

"We haven't gotten anything concrete yet of exactly what it is that they're looking for, or what they would like us to take a look at," Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) said Thursday. "So it's tough to have conversations about what exactly we may or may not do, and time here is finite. ... We only have a few more weeks left, so if there's going to be a deal, it's got to come very soon."

That urgency could be what's driving the A's to explore other options for their new home. The team reportedly reached back out to ownership of the Rio Hotel & Casino, which made an offer of 22 acres of the resort's 90-acre site. The team also "returned its attention" to the 34-acre Tropicana Las Vegas, which was a target early during the exploratory process last year.

Still, it sounds like the hope for the A's is to get the original deal completed as quickly as possible.

Six-time All-Star Vida Blue died at the age of 73.

"Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend," said the Oakland Athletics, for whom Blue played nine seasons. "We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this arduous time."

A statement from the Oakland A's on the passing of Vida Blue. pic.twitter.com/fAMIU7MHCO

— Athletics (@Athletics) May 7, 2023

Rest in peace, Vida 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/MXHRuRFfjH

— Athletics (@Athletics) May 7, 2023

The southpaw also played six years for the San Francisco Giants and had a two-year spell with the Kansas City Royals. He finished 209-161 with a 3.27 ERA and a 3.43 FIP in 502 appearances.

Another former A's ace, Dave Stewart, mourned Blue's death:

Vida Blue rest in peace, my mentor, hero, and friend. I remember watching a 19 year old phenom dominate baseball, and at the same time alter my life. There are no words for what you have meant to me and so many others. My heart goes out to the Blue family🙏🏿🙏🏿

— maddox 💹🧲 (@maddoxx000000) May 7, 2023

Blue made his breakthrough in 1971, when he was just 21. He led the American League in ERA (1.82) and FIP (2.20) while throwing 24 complete games and an MLB-best eight shutouts. Not only did he win the AL Cy Young Award, but he also beat out teammate Sal Bando to be named the AL's Most Valuable Player.

Blue and Dock Ellis made history that season when they were the first Black pitchers to start an MLB All-Star Game.

The Louisiana native was a member of the A's for each of their three straight World Series titles in the 1970s.

As with seemingly every Oakland star from that era, Blue clashed with team owner Charlie Finley. A contract dispute delayed his 1972 debut, and twice then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn canceled a trade that would've sent him out of the Bay Area.

Blue has the ninth-most WAR for an Oakland pitcher (29.0) and is eighth in franchise history in wins (124), per Baseball Reference. Although his time across the Bay in San Francisco isn't remembered as fondly, he was a three-time All-Star with the Giants and finished third in the National League Cy Young voting in 1978.

Oakland Athletics television broadcaster Glen Kuiper has been suspended indefinitely after using a racial slur during a pregame segment on the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast of the team's road contest against the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle relayed the news.

According to an NBC Sports California spokesperson, Glen Kuiper has been suspended and will be off the air until a review of Friday’s incident is completed.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) May 6, 2023

The A's released this statement after the game:

The language used by Glen Kuiper during today’s pregame broadcast is unacceptable. The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation.

— A's Communications (@AthleticsPR) May 6, 2023

Before the game, Kuiper spoke about his and analyst Dallas Braden's experiences in Kansas City, Missouri, which included a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. However, Kuiper said a slur when mentioning the museum.

He issued an apology during the sixth inning.

"I said something that didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to," Kuiper said. "I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said...like I said, I just wanted to apologize for that."

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick issued an official statement on the matter, as did A's great Dave Stewart:

My Official Statement on the Glen Kuiper incident is below. pic.twitter.com/txAmPH9ulI

— Bob Kendrick (@nlbmprez) May 6, 2023

Bob it could not have been said any better. I know Glen, have worked with him over the years. I believe it was an unfortunate mistake. He, as we all deserve a second chance🙏🏿 https://t.co/byV8EJQ6pO

— maddox 💹🧲 (@maddoxx000000) May 6, 2023

Kuiper has covered baseball for NBC Sports California for 31 years. He has also called games in the Bay Area for roughly two decades.

Oakland Athletics play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper apologized Friday after using a racial slur on the air during a pregame segment ahead of Friday's matchup against the Kansas City Royals.

"Welcome back to Kauffman Stadium. I just want to...a little earlier in the show, I said something, didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to," Kuiper said before the sixth inning, per ESPN. "And I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. And like I said, I just wanted to apologize for that."

During a pregame segment on the NBC Sports California broadcast alongside former A's pitcher Dallas Braden, Kuiper appeared to say a slur when he referred to a visit the two paid to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

After the A's went on to defeat the Royals 12-8, the franchise issued a statement on Twitter addressing Kuiper's comments.

"The language used by Glen Kuiper during today's pregame broadcast is unacceptable," the club said. "The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation."

Kuiper is in his 20th season calling games and has covered baseball for NBC Sports California since 1992. He is the younger brother of former major leaguer and current San Francisco Giants announcer Duane Kuiper and has been Oakland's play-by-play announcer since 2006.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao suggested that the Athletics used negotiations with the city as leverage in talks with other cities after news broke last week that the organization and owner John Fisher entered a binding agreement to purchase land near the Las Vegas Strip with plans to construct a new stadium at that location.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred pushed back on those comments Monday.

"I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland. I really do," he told reporters. "But for the city of Oakland to point fingers at Fisher, it's not fair."

"We have shown an unbelievable commitment to the fans in Oakland by exhausting every possible opportunity to try to get something done in Oakland," he added, saying that Fisher exclusively negotiated with Oakland from 2014-21 in an effort to build a new stadium. "Unfortunately, the government doesn't seem to have the will to get it done."

Per the Associated Press, the A's, Nevada and Clark County will collaborate "on a public-private partnership to fund the new stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 to 35,000."

The hope is to start construction on the new stadium next year and begin play in Las Vegas for the 2027 season.

It remains unclear what the team's temporary home will be following the 2024 season, when its lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires. One option is playing at the home of the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, with Manfred saying he believes the schedule-makers could thread the needle on those potential complications.

Whether Major League Baseball and the Athletics were secretly angling to make the move to Las Vegas—which in recent years has become host to an expansion NHL team (Golden Knights) and has seen NFL (Raiders) and WNBA (Aces) franchises relocate to the city—is another conversation entirely.

"I am deeply disappointed that the A's have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner, in a way that respects the long relationship between the fans, the City and the team," Thao said in a statement. "Yet, it is clear to me that the A's have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game—the fans and our residents deserve better."

My statement on Oakland A's. @oakland has worked incredibly hard to reach an agreement with the A's. Countless residents have engaged in the community benefits process. I thank everyone who has worked for a win-win deal. The A's are not committed to Oakland. It's time to move on. pic.twitter.com/6Vm4BtZOb3

— Nikki Fortunato Bas, Supervisor (@Nikkiforallofus) April 20, 2023

Damn. The @Athletics leaving Oakland is such sad news for the Bay Area, this isn’t just losing a sports team, it’s a loss of a sense of identity. 💔

— Blake Anderson (@UncleBlazer) April 20, 2023

And @MLB encouraged the move. Rather than fight for the A’s to remain in Oakland, the chose this. The A’s gave in at every turn. I hate this to my core and will never root for a team that turns on the fans.

— Sarah Todd (@NBASarah) April 20, 2023

Fisher isn't a popular figure in Oakland, and it turns out in certain NFL circles, he isn't particularly revered either.

Raiders owner Mark Davis told John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week that the two organizations had a contentious relationship as Coliseum "roommates" before his organization made the jump to Vegas, saying the Athletics "never gave us a real good chance to stay up in Oakland."

"I won't forget what they did to us in Oakland. They squatted on a lease for 10 years and made it impossible for us to build on that stadium," he continued. "They were looking for a stadium. We were looking for a stadium. They didn't want to build a stadium, and then went ahead and signed a 10-year lease with the city of Oakland and said, 'We're the base team.'"

Davis wasn't done.

"They marketed the team as 'Rooted in Oakland,' that's been their mantra through the whole thing," he said. "The slogans they've been using have been a slap to the face of the Raiders, and they were trying to win over that type of mentality in the Bay Area. Well all they did was f--k the Bay Area."

"For them to leave Oakland without anything is pretty [screwed] up," he added. "Because that site that the stadium was on was a good site."

The Raiders and Athletics won't be roommates in Las Vegas, but they may be neighbors once more. Don't expect Davis to bring Fisher a welcoming gift or for the city of Oakland to see him off with warm wishes.

The Oakland Athletics have no plans to change their nickname if their potential move to Las Vegas comes to fruition.

"We've been around since 1901," team president Dave Kaval told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

"Charter member of the American League, the Athletics. We've already been in three markets. We feel strongly that the A's are such a powerful brand, it's something we're going to continue with the Las Vegas A's."

The Athletics started in Philadelphia in 1901 before moving to Kansas City beginning with the 1955 season. They only stayed in town through 1967 before heading to Oakland. The team has won four World Series (1972-1974, 1989) during its time in the Bay Area.

The A's announced on Thursday that the team signed a binding agreement with Las Vegas to purchase 49 acres of land for a future 35,000-seat stadium that includes a partially retractable roof.

Per Passan, the A's have pledged $1 billion plus cost overages on a new stadium on the land purchased this week. It's not a done deal, however, as the team seeks half a billion dollars in public funding to finish the project.

Kaval believes the secret to the Athletics' success in Vegas will be tourists and the money they would bring in on a yearly basis.

"The secret sauce to Las Vegas is you have the tourists," Kaval said. "Those people can come in and spend big dollars. You create a business model that's resilient and powerful."

Kaval believes the Athletics can bring 400,000 tourists to the city on an annual basis.

Right now, the Athletics' lease agreement does not expire until after the 2024 season. They could hypothetically move to Vegas in 2025, although they may need to use Las Vegas Ballpark (home of their Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas Aviators) until the stadium is complete.

Las Vegas has welcomed numerous pro teams into town of late, including the Aces, Raiders and Golden Knights. The Raiders notably moved from Oakland to Vegas, with the A's hoping to do the same. Oakland also lost the Golden State Warriors, who moved across the bay to San Francisco's Chase Center.

Vegas' gain is ultimately Oakland's loss as the city loses another team. Mayor Sheng Thao said the A's had no interest in staying in Oakland and used the city as leverage to go to Vegas.

"The city has gone above and beyond in our attempts to arrive at mutually beneficial terms to keep the A's in Oakland," she said. "In the last three months, we've made significant strides to close the deal. Yet, it is clear to me that the A's have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game—the fans and our residents deserve better."

For now, the A's reside in MLB's basement at 3-16 thanks to a seven-game losing streak. They are 2-10 at home and sport a minus-86 run difference.

After spending the past two years gutting their payroll, ownership for the Oakland Athletics found a way to open up their wallets by investing in land in Las Vegas that will be the site of a new ballpark for the franchise.

Howard Stutz and Tabitha Mueller of the Nevada Independent first reported the A's were close to finalizing a binding agreement to build a $1 billion park north of Allegiant Stadium where the Las Vegas Raiders play.

According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, A's president Dave Kaval announced on Wednesday night the team finalized a deal for the 49-acre site last week for a stadium that will have a seating capacity of 30,000 to 35,000 with the hope of moving to Las Vegas by 2027.

"It's obviously a very big milestone for us," Kaval said. "We spent almost two years working in Las Vegas to try to determine a location that works for a long-term home. To identify a site and have a purchase agreement is a big step."

Statement from the A’s: pic.twitter.com/kWKWxo8DrG

— Casey Pratt (@CaseyAPratt) April 20, 2023

Oakland mayor Sheng Thao issued a statement criticizing the A's for not attempting to negotiate a new deal with the city in good faith but "to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas" for a stadium:

"I am deeply disappointed that the A's have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner, in a way that respects the long relationship between the fans, the City and the team. The City has gone above and beyond in our attempts to arrive at mutually beneficial terms to keep the A's in Oakland. In the last three months, we've made significant strides to close the deal.

"Yet, it is clear to me that the A's have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game—the fans and our residents deserve better. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished as a City, including securing a fully entitled site and over $375 million in new infrastructure investment that will benefit Oakland and its Port for generations to come.

"In a time of budget deficits, I refuse to compromise the safety and well-being of our residents. Given these realities, we are ceasing negotiations and moving forward on alternatives for the redevelopment of Howard Terminal."

Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal provided a glimpse at where the new stadium will sit in the city compared to other prominent locations, including Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena.

Here’s the Vegas site the A’s entered into a binding purchase agreement with in relation to Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena. https://t.co/u8wXAub1bU#vegas #oakland #athletics #mlb pic.twitter.com/vR1rA3T12z

— Mick Akers (@mickakers) April 20, 2023

It hasn't been a secret the A's were looking to move from Oakland, with Vegas seen as their preferred destination.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters in October the league is hoping to eventually expand to 32 teams, but he wanted to see the stadium situations in Oakland and Tampa Bay get resolved before adding more franchises.

"There's demand for (expansion)," he said, "but we need to get Oakland and Tampa resolved first."

During an appearance on SiriusXM MLB Network Radio shortly after those comments, Manfred said it didn't look like the A's were going to stay in Oakland.

Commissioner Rob Manfred tells @MadDogUnleashed that he’s no longer optimistic the #A’s will remain in Oakland (‘It just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen’) and likely will move to Las Vegas. He believes the #Rays will stay put with a new ballpark in Tampa.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 29, 2022

The Athletics' current stadium lease at RingCentral Coliseum expires after the 2024 season. It's unclear at this point where the team might play before their new stadium in Las Vegas is ready to go.

Oakland has been attempting to engage the A's in negotiations for a new ballpark for years. There were rumblings about a $12 billion project that would include a new waterfront ballpark and village at Howard Terminal in 2021, but nothing came of those discussions with the club.

The A's have stripped their roster bare in recent years, trading away players like Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Sean Murphy, Frankie Montas and Chris Bassitt. They have the lowest payroll in MLB this season.

Their 3-16 record this season is the worst mark in MLB. They have been outscored by 86 runs through 19 games. No other team has been outscored by more than 51 runs at this point in the year.

The A's moved to Oakland in 1968 after spending the previous 13 years in Kansas City. The franchise originated in Philadelphia in 1901.

During the franchise's 55 years in Oakland, they have won 17 division titles and four World Series championships.

Oakland Athletics supporters want to show the baseball world the fanbase is still there, even if it hasn't been attending games of late for a number of reasons.

Jason Burke of FanNation noted former season-ticket holder Stu Clary helped organize a reverse boycott at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 13.

The idea is to pack the Coli on a random weeknight, showing @mlb and the country that us fans are not the problem
Hope to see you there. Please share @LockedOnAs @89wastolongago @linusalf @OaklandRooted @OakStadiumWatch @RealRyanMesick @As_Fan_Radio @dipskp @AsHotDog pic.twitter.com/Rwq0LpPuAD

— Stu Clary (@hecanfoos) April 14, 2023

The idea is the fans will pack the park and show they still want to support the club despite poor attendance trends.

Oakland was last in MLB with an average attendance of 9,973 fans per game in 2022 and again ranks last in the early going this season at 12,254 fans per game.

"We picked June 13 because we wanted to come up with a random weeknight game vs. someone other than Giants, Yankees or Red Sox—in other words a game that would be poorly attended ordinarily," Clary told Burke.

Burke explained that Oakland supporters have grown "tired of the team's ownership and the direction of the team," especially with the possibility owner John Fisher will move the team to Las Vegas if he gets his desired outcome.

What's more, ticket prices have increased in recent seasons even while the team struggles on the field.

The Athletics haven't made it past the American League Division Series since the 2006 season and are coming off a dreadful 60-102 campaign in 2022. Things don't look much better this year with a 3-13 record through 16 games.

Attendance numbers likely won't turn around throughout the summer if the losing continues.

But they apparently will for one night.

The Oakland Athletics have an unexpected guest living within the confines of their stadium.

Announcers from visiting teams at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum have been unable to use the visiting broadcast booth this season because a possum is "living inside its walls," according to Front Office Sports.

The possum has been living in the booth since last season. Maybe it's just a huge fan of the A's? Or maybe it's just another sign that the team desperately needs to find a new home.

The "rally possum" living at Oakland Coliseum made an appearance in the booth during A's-Angels on Opening Day.

Teams have been unable to use the booth since, the Mets' broadcast team says:pic.twitter.com/Ex3PdVpGCv

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 15, 2023

The A's have one of the worst stadiums in all of baseball. Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, is also in that category.

The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum opened in 1966, and the A's have called the stadium home since moving from Kansas City in 1968. The team shared the stadium with the then-Oakland Raiders from 1968-1981 and again from 1995-2019.

The Raiders left Oakland for Las Vegas in 2020 and now play their home games at Allegiant Stadium.

The A's could soon be joining the Raiders in Las Vegas as they have been unable to secure a new stadium deal in Oakland. The team's lease at Oakland Coliseum is set to expire after the 2024 season, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred gave the franchise permission to pursue relocation in 2021.

Over the last several years, the A's have considered the possibility of building a $1 billion waterfront stadium as part of a greater $12 billion Howard Terminal project proposal. However, they've hit several roadblocks throughout the process and Manfred said in February that the focus has been shifted to a possible Las Vegas relocation.

If the A's move to Las Vegas, they'd join the Raiders, Golden Knights and Aces as the major professional sports franchises in the city. The NBA is also open to adding a team in Sin City in the future.

Oakland Athletics reliever Chad Smith was given the first win of his career on Wednesday night after pitching two scoreless innings to close out an 8-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

And it was all thanks to an obscure rule and a scorekeeper who made the interesting decision to apply it.

Smith would have earned a save for his efforts since he entered the game in the bottom of the eighth and the A's holding a 7-4 lead.

But because reliever Jeurys Familia—who pitched the bottom of the seventh and was in the game when Oakland took the lead—had what was deemed an "ineffective" outing, giving up two runs (only one credited to him) and a passed ball while getting two outs against four hitters, the scorekeeper applied a rare rule to give Smith the win instead (h/t the Associated Press).

That rule, MLB Rule 9.17 (c) says:

The official scorer shall not credit as the winning pitcher a relief pitcher who is ineffective in a brief appearance, when at least one succeeding relief pitcher pitches effectively in helping his team maintain its lead. In such a case, the official scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher the succeeding relief pitcher who was most effective, in the judgment of the official scorer.

MLB's rulebook allows for a scorekeeper to apply those rules for an ineffective outing when a "relief pitcher pitches less than one inning and allows two or more earned runs to score (even if such runs are charged to a previous pitcher)."

Even Smith was surprised by his unusual win.

"I was told it was a save," he told reporters. "... I guess now that you say it's a win, I guess it's a win. It's great. This is why we play the game."