The Oakland Athletics' move to Las Vegas took a big step forward Thursday morning as MLB owners unanimously approved the relocation. Las Vegas is set to be the fourth home for MLB's most mobile franchise, at least in modern history, following Philadelphia, Kansas City and now Oakland.
We can't be sure about the branding just yet, but the A's will not fully be moved into their Las Vegas home (a proposed $1.5B ballpark with a retractable roof off the Las Vegas strip), as the plans indicate, until the 2028 season. So where will the team play between 2024 and 2027?
Do not bet on the A's having just one home before 2028. I wouldn't even bet on just two. Apparently, they'll be roaming. That's far from ideal but nothing about this situation is ideal. It has happened, however, so now it's time to deal with the repercussions.
Where will the A's play until they open their shiny new toy in 2028? Here are five options which could be used to piece it together:
1. Oakland Coliseum
The A's still have a lease with Oakland for this ballpark through the 2024 season. It doesn't sound like they want to stay at the Coliseum after the lease runs out, however. The A's specifically told Major League Baseball they'd have a "revolving group" of homes until 2028, per USA Today.
They could stay in Oakland for all of 2024 and have that still be true. It's honestly the best solution to figuring out home games in the short term. They're familiar with the place and have the right to play there for the full season. They'd then have to figure out 2025-27.
I'd say the best bet is the A's playing all of 2024 in Oakland Coliseum and it's possible they work with the city to grab a short-term lease to play there in ensuing seasons, but, again, they've told people they want a revolving group of homes. Further complicating matters is that Oakland mayor Sheng Thao "has made clear there would be conditions to staying at the Coliseum," reports The Athletic.
2. Oracle Park (home of the Giants)
It remains to be seen how accommodating the Giants will be to sharing their home with the A's and obviously the Giants' schedule would get top priority here, but there's a way to make two teams in the same home work, especially if the A's part of the schedule is only a portion of their home games. It has been floated by multiple, reputable media sources connected to the Bay Area that the A's could play some of their home games in Oracle Park, so we have to take the possibility seriously.
Perhaps something like 40 games each in 2025, 2026 and 2027 would get the job done? Maybe even 20-25ish? It isn't the best idea in the world, of course, but there aren't a lot of good ideas here until the A's new ballpark in Vegas is complete.
Speaking of not-the-best ideas ...
3. Las Vegas Ballpark (home of A's Triple-A affiliate)
Las Vegas Ballpark hosts the Las Vegas Aviators in Summerlin, Nevada. It just opened in time for the 2019 season and it's been said that it was built with the idea that it could house a Major League Baseball team on a temporary basis. The capacity can run to around 10,000 with standing room tickets.
This seems like the best not-good option on the table, but there are concerns. First off, if the A's are trying to sell the local market on their team before moving in for 2028, the team is atrocious right now and won't make quite the first impression that, say, the Vegas Golden Knights made.
Further, the Triple-A and MLB schedules would have to fit together in the ballpark.
4. Other Triple-A parks
The problem here is the A's would need to work with another big-league team on getting the OK to use the affiliate's ballpark and that's just more red tape. Nonetheless, here are some other Triple-A ballparks that could feasibly be used for multiple series in a bind.
Sutter Health Park - The Sacramento River Cats (Giants affiliate) play here and this is easily the closest option to the Bay Area outside the MLB parks mentioned above. Of course, this again involves working with the Giants. The park opened in 2000 and could seat over 14,000 if the lawn in the outfield fills up.
Greater Nevada Field - This is home of the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks' affiliate). It seats a touch over 9,000 and is relatively new, as it opened in 2009. The capacity here is lower than several others, but it's hard to imagine this is an issue, given the circumstances.
Smith's Ballpark - Opened in 2009, this one houses the Salt Lake Bees, who are the Angels' affiliate. The capacity here is over 14,000.
Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park - Home of the Albuquerque Isotopes, Rockies affiliate, this is stretching awfully far away from Oakland, but the focus here should be shifting toward Vegas anyway. ABQ isn't absurdly far away from Las Vegas. This ballpark is a bit older, as it opened in 2003, and can seat 13,500.
5. Hohokam Stadium (home of A's spring training games)
There's no way Major League Baseball wants this to happen, but, again, the circumstances dictate throwing out all feasible options. This iteration of Hohokam -- the A's spring training home in Mesa, Arizona -- has been around since 1997 and could seat over 10,000 fans. It's obviously in the middle of a different fan base during the regular season, but there is precedent to a team playing at its minor-league facility recently, as the Blue Jays spent some time playing games in 2021 in TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla.
Call this one a last resort that could work.
