Oakland A’s Talks About Moving to Vegas Gain Steam

The A’s continue the Byzantine process of seeking a deal to remain in Oakland, but should they bolt to Vegas, they’ll have a very interested suitor.

Billionaire hotel magnate Phil Ruffin, owner of Circus Circus and other properties, reportedly met with A’s executives last week in Las Vegas. 

• Negotiations appear to be gaining steam. Ruffin also met with A’s leadership in Oakland on Aug. 2.
• The focal point of the discussions is Ruffin’s 37-acre Las Vegas Festival Grounds site, which neighbors Circus Circus and the Sahara hotel.

MLB would reportedly seek around $275 million in public financing for a new stadium in Las Vegas.

The team will eventually choose between two very different futures.

Oakland’s ‘Mega’ Question

The team is also in ongoing talks with the city of Oakland.

The two sides have an agreement largely figured out in which the team would cover costs related to a $12 billion development, while the city would make around $350 million in offsite infrastructure investments — namely roads, train tracks, and paths near the planned ballpark.

The city earned a $279.5 million appropriation in California’s most recent budget that will help cover those costs and applied for a $113 million grant from the Department of Transportation’s Mega program.

The project could hinge on receiving that grant.