MLB Commissioner: A’s Likely to Leave Oakland for Las Vegas

The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on the Las Vegas strip in Las Vegas, on Mar. 6, 2022. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

It’s a safe bet that the Athletics will leave Oakland for Las Vegas, according to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.

Manfred said in an interview Friday with Sirius XM that he is no longer optimistic that the A’s will stay in Oakland.

“It just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen,” Manfred said.

Seth Brown (15) of the Oakland Athletics is congratulated by Dermis Garcia (76) after he hit a home run in the third inning against the New York Mets at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2022. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Athletics’ lease at the 56-year-old Oakland Coliseum ends after the 2024 season.

Negotiations between the A’s and Oakland officials on a new Howard Terminal stadium project are expected to drag into next year, which team president Dave Kaval has said would “all but doom our efforts” to stay in the Bay Area.

Oakland lost the NBA’s Golden State Warriors to neighboring San Francisco last year, while the NFL’s Raiders left for Las Vegas before the 2020 season.

The Athletics have explored a move to Las Vegas since May 2021.