Sports

The Las Vegas A’s? What we know (and don’t know) about potential move from Oakland

Published

2 years ago

April 21, 2023

admin

12:00 PM ET

Jeff PassanESPN
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After years of failed attempts to find a new ballpark location that would keep them in Oakland, the Athletics announced Wednesday night that they have signed a binding contract for land in Las Vegas where they intend to build a new ballpark for the team.

The agreement signals that the franchise, which has been in Oakland since its 1968 move from Kansas City, intends to relocate to Vegas in the near future — but there are plenty of questions to answer. What still needs to be figured out ahead of a move? Are there any obstacles that could get in the way? When could the Oakland A’s officially become the Las Vegas A’s — and would they actually keep that nickname in their new home?

Here’s what we know (and don’t know) about the potential move.

So are the A’s officially moving to Las Vegas?

It’s not a done deal. But it almost certainly will be soon. The team’s purchase agreement on a 49-acre parcel of land off the Strip made clear what people around the sport had long speculated: After more than two decades of failures to build a stadium in Oakland and the surrounding area, the A’s are close to becoming the latest major professional sports team to move to Las Vegas — following the NFL’s Raiders, who also relocated from Oakland in 2020.

The shovels to break ground on the new ballpark aren’t quite ready. Some not-insignificant details that involve politics remain. But the A’s are confident, and in an interview with ESPN, team president Dave Kaval said: “This is a massive deal for our franchise and for the whole league.”

What details still need to be figured out?

Only $500 million worth of them. The A’s, who had spent the past two years engaging with Las Vegas and Oakland on what it deemed “parallel paths,” have forked off at Las Vegas. They have pledged $1 billion, as well as cost overages, on a new stadium on the land they bought this week. The project is expected to cost $1.5 billion, leaving half a billion dollars in public funding up to the municipalities involved.

Kaval said the A’s have worked with Clark County, the state Legislature and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, calling the conversations with the parties “ongoing and positive.” They are using Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Raiders that received $750 million in public dollars, as a proxy.

What’s the timeline for this move?

The Nevada Legislature session ends in July. If the A’s and the government can strike a public-private partnership, the next step will be for the A’s to file for relocation with MLB. If the commissioner’s office approves, the A’s will need a vote by owners to codify the move. If all of this gets done before January, the team can break ground on the new stadium by next year in preparation for the 2027 season.

Of course, the A’s lease in Oakland is up after 2024 — so even if all goes according to plan, where they’ll play in 2025 is currently unclear. Kaval said the A’s have negotiated a deal with the Las Vegas Aviators, their Triple-A affiliate, to potentially use Las Vegas Ballpark for home games starting in 2025. (The Aviators, he added, will remain in Las Vegas, similar to the Minnesota Twins‘ Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul.) Or maybe even earlier, if the A’s and the Coliseum come to an agreement to terminate the lease early. The team also could temporarily extend the lease agreement in Oakland, like the Raiders did before they moved.

Whatever the case, MLB will have a significant say in it, as the league will help shape the interim plan. Commissioner Rob Manfred’s first public comments after the move was announced were positive. “We support the A’s turning their focus on Las Vegas and look forward to them bringing finality to this process by the end of the year,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday.

Why Las Vegas?

It’s not the population or the TV market size — because both of those are far smaller than the metro area from which the A’s are moving. One of the most transient franchises in sports — with moves from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland in the past — the A’s have long sought the shiny new city as a panacea, often for the failings of ownership and management. And there is no shinier city than Vegas.

“When you think about what makes for a successful market, you have to have a strong local fan base,” Kaval said. “The 2.3 million people are rabid sports fans. … That’s one reason we picked the site we picked: It’s easy to get to for locals.”

The stadium and parking will take up only 15 or so acres of the site, Kaval said. The rest of the area can serve as a mixed-use development — perhaps baseball-themed — that encourages locals and tourists to spend time in bars, restaurants and other attractions, a la The Battery in Atlanta.

Kaval said the Raiders were estimated to bring 800,000 extra tourists to the city annually. He suggested the A’s would bring 400,000.

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

Will they be the Las Vegas A’s — or are we looking at a potential name change?

The A’s name is here to stay, according to Kaval.

“We’ve been around since 1901,” he said. “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.”

Was this move inevitable?

“Once the league set the deadline of January 2024 to have a binding deal, it really made it an inevitability in some ways,” Kaval said. “It made us get a binding deal on a timeline that wasn’t on offer in Oakland.”

Kaval pointed to $100 million the team spent trying to stay in Oakland. “In spite of all that,” he said, “we’re looking at eight more years before we can open [a new stadium]. It’s impossible to move forward with that with a facility in the Coliseum that’s 10 years past its useful life.”

Oakland council president Nikki Fortunato Bas said the city was in “active negotiations” with the team when the Vegas deal was announced. “Oakland has worked incredibly hard to come to an agreement with the A’s,” she said in a statement. “Our city council created a framework to support a win-win deal to keep the A’s in Oakland.”

While it’s true that public money was more difficult to come by in Oakland than other locations, Las Vegas included, the idea that public funding is necessary to build a stadium is a false premise. Across the Bay, the San Francisco Giants built Oracle Park entirely privately.

A’s owner John Fisher never entertained the idea of a privately built stadium in Oakland. The A’s fans, despite years of on-field success, lost faith. The narrative of inevitability became the reality, and the city of Oakland has lost its last major professional sports team.

“We feel for our fans in Oakland,” Kaval said. “It’s a sad day for the community and our fan base. We’ve been here more than 50 years.”

The A’s have been very bad in recent years. Does this speed up their timeline or boost the budget for putting together a winning team?

Theoretically, sure, but the Athletics have the sport’s lowest payroll this season and have ranked higher than 25th in the majors only once in the last decade, so the idea that suddenly upon the A’s arrival in Las Vegas they’re going to morph into a bigger-budget team is no guarantee. Oakland’s longtime baseball operations chief, Billy Beane, and his successor, David Forst, have done yeoman’s work in keeping the team competitive on a skinflint payroll — they’ve made the playoffs in six of the past dozen years. But Oakland’s dreadful 2022 — and an even worse start this season — speak to the difficulty in that approach.

“Once we get certainty about the timeline of a new building, it allows us to plan,” Kaval said. “Right now, for David Forst and Billy as our senior adviser, there’s too much uncertainty. With the declining revenues, it’s a precarious situation. We need to get by that and have a plan we can work against so we can develop the talent. I have full confidence in our baseball-operations team, and once we get through the relocation process with the league, we can put a plan together.”

Sports

Ohtani falls double shy of cycle in Dodgers’ loss

Published

3 hours ago

April 8, 2025

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Ohtani falls double shy of cycle in Dodgers' loss

Associated Press

Apr 8, 2025, 12:10 AM ET

WASHINGTON — Shohei Ohtani got going again at the plate Monday night, falling a double short of hitting for the cycle.

The three-time MVP homered, tripled, singled and walked, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 6-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. It was a nice bounce-back for Ohtani after he went 1-for-11 in a weekend series at Philadelphia.

With the Dodgers down two runs and Max Muncy on third base with two outs in the ninth inning, Ohtani walked on a full-count splitter from Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan.

“He had some really good takes there,” Finnegan said. “He knows the situation, too. He knows I’m not going to give him anything too good to hit. He’s a pro. He worked his at-bat and I was able to sneak back in there 3-2. If I was going to get him out, it was because he was going to chase something out of the zone and he did his job and took ball four.”

Mookie Betts then grounded out to end the game.

Ohtani, however, focused more on the called third strike he took with a runner aboard in the eighth.

“My approach doesn’t really change — it’s to really get on base,” he said through an interpreter. “That fourth at-bat I really should have just taken a hack and see what happens.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani was unselfish in his final plate appearance when he drew a walk with the game on the line.

“It’s kind of hard to say he was struggling, but tonight he was locked in,” Roberts said. “Even that last at-bat to earn the walk versus Finnegan and not try to chase a cycle speaks to being a team player and passing the baton. He had an excellent night.”

On the pitching side, Ohtani is throwing bullpens and getting closer to live batting practice as the two-way superstar rehabs from elbow surgery.

“I feel pretty good with where I am at physically,” he said. “There’s some limitation on how hard I am supposed to throw or how many types of pitches I’m allowed to throw. Once that’s cleared, I will be able to do all of the above. I feel pretty good about throwing live BP.”

Sports

NHL playoff watch: The Rangers’ path to the postseason

Published

9 hours ago

April 8, 2025

admin

NHL playoff watch: The Rangers' path to the postseason

Hockey fans often hear about the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover, when a team falters in the season after their championship. But a Presidents’ Trophy hangover?

Last season, the New York Rangers finished on top of the regular-season standings. This season, it’s looking less likely by the day that they’ll even make the playoffs.

When play begins Monday, the Rangers will be six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. With only six games left, they’ll need to come close to running the table, and will also need help from Montreal’s opponents.

Monday’s game is home against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Lightning have clinched a berth but will still be playing hard as they have a chance to catch the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

After the Lightning, the Rangers host the Philadelphia Flyers, then have three straight road games, against the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers. They close out the season with another matchup against the Lightning.

As noted, New York will need to gin up a winning streak here to bolster its chances. As for the Canadiens, they close out with a somewhat easier schedule: home against the Detroit Red Wings, at the Ottawa Senators and Maple Leafs, then home for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Hurricanes.

So that’s the task ahead for the Blueshirts. Will they come through?

With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Clinching scenarios
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Minnesota Wild
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 St. Louis Blues
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Clinching scenarios

The Edmonton Oilers will clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the Anaheim Ducks in any fashion, AND the Calgary Flames lose to the San Jose Sharks in regulation.

The St. Louis Blues will clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the Winnipeg Jets in regulation, AND the Flames lose to the Sharks in regulation.

Monday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets, 7:30 p.m. (NHLN)
Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks, 10:30 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m.

Sunday’s scoreboard

New York Islanders 4, Washington Capitals 1
Minnesota Wild 3, Dallas Stars 2 (OT)
Ottawa Senators 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
Detroit Red Wings 2, Florida Panthers 1
Buffalo Sabres 6, Boston Bruins 3
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Montreal Canadiens 2, Nashville Predators 1
Vegas Golden Knights 3, Vancouver Canucks 2

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 105.7
Next game: @ FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 101.4
Next game: @ NYR (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 98.0
Next game: vs. TOR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 95.8
Next game: @ CBJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 90.5
Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 79.2%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 85.2
Next game: @ MTL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 5.4%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 79.8
Next game: vs. CAR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 74.6
Next game: @ NJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metro Division

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 114.0
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 103.6
Next game: @ BUF (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 94.8
Next game: vs. BOS (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 85.2
Next game: vs. TB (Monday)
Playoff chances: 8.5%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 84.2
Next game: @ NSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 2.5%
Tragic number: 5

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: vs. OTT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 4.5%
Tragic number: 4

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 77.8
Next game: vs. CHI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 75.6
Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

Points: 108
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 115.0
Next game: vs. STL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 105
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 111.8
Next game: vs. VAN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 103.0
Next game: vs. VGK (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 97.8
Next game: @ ANA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 95.7
Next game: vs. SJ (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 86.4%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 87.3
Next game: vs. SEA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.2%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 66.0
Next game: vs. NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 57.5
Next game: @ PIT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 108.6
Next game: @ COL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 104.7
Next game: vs. SEA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 100.3
Next game: @ ANA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 91.7
Next game: @ SJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 12.6%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 88.4
Next game: @ DAL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 1.4%
Tragic number: 2

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 79.8
Next game: vs. EDM (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 76.7
Next game: @ LA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 54.0
Next game: vs. CGY (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27

Sports

Utah HC to open new training facility in Sept.

Published

9 hours ago

April 8, 2025

admin

Utah HC to open new training facility in Sept.

Associated Press

Apr 7, 2025, 02:36 PM ET

The Utah Hockey Club will open a new practice and training facility for team use on Sept. 1, the team announced Monday.

The 115,780-square-foot facility, built on the southeastern end of a Sandy shopping mall, will house two NHL standard ice sheets. It will also include training, medical and dining facilities as well as team locker rooms.

Building a practice facility quickly was one of the immediate challenges Utah owner Ryan Smith faced in bringing an NHL team to the Beehive State. The Utah Olympic Oval, which is primarily used for speedskating events, served as the team’s practice facility this season, but it was intended to be only a temporary solution.

“We want to be competitive in the NHL, and to do that you got to have a place where these guys can practice and they can recover, and it’s home,” Smith said. “We did a miraculous job with the Oval, but at the same time that’s not this.”

Players on Utah’s roster had input on the practice facility’s design from the dining areas to the locker rooms. The facility incorporates many of their suggestions.

“We tried to involve them as much as we can in every part of this,” Smith said.

Utah’s practice facility will also be ready for public use next January. It will feature event venues, eight community locker rooms, equipment rentals and a team store. The ice rinks will be available to the public when not in use by the team.