Jeff Passan: The A’s have had ’20 years of potential deals falling apart’

Add ESPN’s Jeff Passan to the list of skeptics who don’t believe the Oakland Athletics relocate to Las Vegas.

On a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” ESPN’s baseball insider shared his thoughts on the proposed move to Sin City.

Just after the start of the 2024 MLB season, the A’s and Sacramento Kings announced that the Athletics will call Sutter Health Park home from 2025-28 with an option for a fourth year. Sutter Health Park is the current home of the San Francisco Giants Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, located in West Sacramento.

At the press conference announcing the temporary rehoming, Sacramento Kings and River Cats owner Vivek Ranadive he’s had conversations with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, but there is no guarantee Sacramento will get an expansion team.

“There’s a perception among some people that Sacramento was gung-ho for the A’s moving there because they are convinced that the Vegas deal is gonna fall apart because it always falls apart. They’ve had 20 years of deals, potential deals, falling apart,” Passan told Eisen.

Last November, Major League Baseball unanimously approved the Athletics relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas. The team plans to build a $1.5 billion, nine-acre stadium where the Tropicana Hotel currently stands. The ballpark, which was granted $380 in public funding for construction in the summer of 2023, could open as early as 2028 if everything goes according to plan.

“But until a shovel goes into the ground and until you see steel beams moved to create this stadium, I’m not going to say a single thing about the Oakland A’s becoming the Las Vegas A’s because we are a long ways off,” Passan added.

 

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