Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — It appears that the Oakland Athletics might be leaning toward staying in California a few more seasons before the team's much-anticipated move to Las Vegas, based on multiple news reports over the past week.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported last week that the team had engaged in talks with Oakland over a possible lease extension at the team's current home, the Oakland Coliseum.
Without an extension, the team would have to move out after this season. That's created a predicament because the team's new Las Vegas home still isn't projected to open until 2028. It's forced the team to view multiple stadium options for a temporary home for the 2025-27 seasons, including in Utah.
Should the A's pick Utah, the team would play at a new stadium currently under construction in downtown Daybreak in South Jordan. The Salt Lake Bees would remain at Smith's Ballpark for three more seasons.
A's executives toured the construction site last month; however, additional reports indicate the team may prefer to stay in California before moving to Las Vegas — even if Utah is still an option.
- Staying Oakland is the primary focus at the moment, a team source told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday. The outlet added that Sacramento, California and Salt Lake County remain in the mix if an extension agreement isn't reached, and an early move to Vegas is off the table.
- The Athletic, citing a source with knowledge of the search process, reported late last week that, no, Sacramento had become the "frontrunner" and the Oakland Coliseum and Salt Lake County remain in the mix. The source told the outlet that remaining in Oakland is viewed as a "tough road."
What may complicate the whole process is that Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao told the San Francisco Chronicle that Oakland would like to get something in return for a lease extension, such as a guarantee that Oakland would get an expansion team in the future.
Major League Baseball is still exploring an expansion, which wouldn't begin until at least 2029. Oakland joined the race for a Western expansion team after the A's finalized its relocation process, and that type of agreement would probably cost Utah both in the near term and long term. It's worth noting that ESPN's Jeff Passan reported this week that Salt Lake City and Nashville, Tennessee remain "at the front of the line" right now should the league expand.
Front Office Sports offered a breakdown of all the A's temporary options on Thursday, taking into consideration all the arguments. It points out that a media rights deal, which reached $67 million last year, is a key reason why Oakland or Sacramento would make sense at the moment.
The A's could simply resume its broadcasting deal with NBC Sports California if it stayed in Oakland, and probably could do that in Sacramento, also. They would have to build up a completely new — and temporary — media rights deal if they picked Utah.
What also hinders Daybreak is that it's meant to be a minor league facility, something that also hurts Sacramento's case. It would require specific modifications; however, unlike Sacramento, those likely could be constructed into the stadium without a need for renovation.
The outlet seems to view the idea of the A's playing in Utah as benefiting the state more than the A's, which could harm Utah's temporary chances if the club feels the same way. Front Office Sports noted that it could serve as an experiment to see if Utah's market is ready to handle another major sports franchise as it vies for an expansion club.
What is known right now is that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred would like the A's to decide on an Oakland extension or a temporary home soon.
"I'm comfortable with where they are in the process," he said earlier this month, according to the Associated Press. "They have options and you know, I think they're doing a good job of exploring them and making sure we find the best possible opportunity."
What is also known is that the new Daybreak stadium will play home to a baseball team one way or another in 2025. If it's not the A's, the Bees will dig into their new hive next season. This would allow Salt Lake City to move forward with long-term plans to reimagine the Smith's Ballpark site that began when the Bees announced they would move out last year.
