The Athletics have entered into a binding purchase agreement for land west of the Las Vegas Strip, according to a report from Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The purchase agreement is for 49 acres of land at Dean Martin Drive and Tropicana Avenue. The deal is for land only, and includes a clause allowing the A’s to purchase an additional eight acres of land at a later date.
“For a while we were on parallel paths (with Oakland), but we have turned our attention to Las Vegas to get a deal here for the A’s and find a long-term home,” team president Dave Kaval told the Review-Journal. “Oakland has been a great home for us for over 50 years, but we really need this 20-year saga completed and we feel there’s a path here in Southern Nevada to do that.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is in support of the move for the A’s.
“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,” Manfred told the Review-Journal.
Kaval told the Review-Journal that the plan is build a $1.5 billion stadium that seats 30,000 fans and has a partially retractable roof. There is also an “ancillary development” that will include food and beverage establishments and an amphitheater next to the stadium.
“It’s really exciting to have a site,” he said. “We’ve spent almost two years doing our due diligence, working with community leaders, elected officials and everyone in town to really determine a location that could be a win for the A’s as well as the community and public officials. It’s a great location not only for tourists, because it’s in the Resort Corridor, but it’s easy to get to for locals. About 70% of our fans are going to be locals, so we want to make sure we cater to them to have a great experience at the ballpark…and this location will do that.”
The A’s have a January 2024 deadline set by the MLB to get a new ballpark deal finalized in Las Vegas.
