Rob Manfred says A’s Las Vegas move will happen, despite critics

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the Athletics’ move to Las Vegas is on track — without a doubt.

Speaking Thursday to reporters following owners meetings in New York, Manfred reiterated what he has said several times before: The A’s relocation from Oakland and the construction of a $1.5 billion, 33,000-fan capacity ballpark is a sure bet.

“Las Vegas is going to happen,” Manfred said. “I’m not worried about the outcome in Las Vegas.”

Despite some critics doubting the ability of A’s owner John Fisher to pull off the project, Manfred said the team is on schedule in its relocation process.

“One hundred percent full steam ahead,” Manfred said. “I understand there seems to be some sense of doubt persists out there, but John Fisher is completely committed to the process. The [Tropicana] building has been demolished, the site’s available, they are on track for a 2028 opening.”

The A’s played their final season in Oakland in 2024 and will move to a Triple-A ballpark in Sacramento for the 2025-27 MLB seasons.

Crews have been clearing the Tropicana site since the Rat Pack-era resort was imploded in October. Plans call for construction on the A’s Las Vegas ballpark to begin in the second quarter of 2025 and be ready for the 2028 MLB season.

MLB owners unanimously approved the A’s relocation to Las Vegas at last year’s owners meetings in Texas. The approval came after the team secured up to $380 million in public financing for the stadium from Clark County and the state of Nevada via Senate Bill 1 and entered a deal with Bally’s Corp. to use 9 acres of the 35-acre Tropicana site for the ballpark.

The next step in the A’s relocation will happen at the Dec. 5 Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting. The team’s three outstanding ballpark agreements with the authority board — the development, non-relocation and lease pacts — are expected to be finalized and approved.

The A’s are also expected to present four letters confirming their ability to finance their portion of the project.

Those letters will include one from Fisher pledging a $1 billion equity commitment from his family’s wealth. Another letter will detail a $300 million construction loan from Goldman Sachs and U.S. Bank. A separate letter from U.S. Bank will state that the institution has reviewed some of the Fisher family finances and concluded that the family has the required assets to fund the stadium’s construction. A fourth letter from the A’s will state that they are in receipt of a construction loan and equity commitment for the ballpark’s financing.

The A’s are entertaining the possibility of local investors, who would be given a minority stake in the team for financial commitments made toward to the stadium’s construction costs. With or without potential investors, Manfred is confident in Fisher’s ability to fund the A’s portion of the project.

“They’ve gone through the process of demonstrating that whether or not he takes local partners, he has the capacity to build the stadium. We’re full speed ahead,” Manfred said.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.