Casey Pratt gives the A’s staying in Oakland past 2028 ‘like 2 or 3%’
Nov 17, 2023, 11:31 AM
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JULY 23: Tyler Soderstrom #37 of the Oakland Athletics sits in the dugout before a game against the Houston Astros at RingCentral Coliseum on July 23, 2023 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images)
(Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images)
ABC7’s Casey Pratt joined “The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross” Friday morning to talk about the Oakland Athletics getting approval from all 30 owners to relocate to Las Vegas.
The team plans to build a $1.5 billion, nine-acre stadium where the Tropicana Hotel currently stands. The ballpark and organization were granted $380 in public funding for construction earlier this year. But, the earliest projections for when the stadium could open is not until 2028, three years after the A’s lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season.
“There’s still a lot of things that could go wrong in Las Vegas with this deal. I don’t want to give people false hope but there’s no basically no information out there about what they’re planning on doing. So that gives me at least a little bit of positivity on that front,” Pratt told Sactown Sports.
He added owners unanimously passed the measure without knowing where the team would play for three years after this upcoming season, how there’s uncertainty with the design architect, if there are real stadium renderings, and questions about how John Fisher will pay for the ballpark.
“I really think the lease extension in Oakland is probably their best road but the city is not willing to play ball with them unless they give up some concession,” Pratt said. “I think there’s so many questions, the A’s staying in Oakland past 2028 seems like, a two or three percent chance of happening. It’s not over yet, there’s still a sliver of hope!”
Topics discussed include:
- A’s fans are staging an opening-day boycott.
- Is it possible for Oakland to keep the Athletics name and colors?
- Where could the team play after the 2024 season and why it makes financial sense for the A’s to stay in the Bay Area or Northern California?
- If the Giants let the A’s play at Oracle Park, “it would be the biggest slap in the face to the City of Oakland and their fans virtually ever.”
- Did MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred use Oakland’s situation to intimidate other cities into playing ball for stadium money?
Click here to watch and listen to the full interview with Casey Pratt.
Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140. Subscribe to their podcast here. Follow us on Twitter and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
