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5 cities the Oakland A’s should consider relocating to

By Brad Berreman

May 7, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics players celebrate after the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics players celebrate after the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images /

2. Nashville, TN

Nashville wants an MLB team, with plenty of backing and a website that shows the plan to court a team. Under the “Vision” category, there’s a timeline for having a stadium ready to welcome a team via expansion or relocation.

"Our focus is to secure Major League Baseball approval of an expansion franchise in Nashville, although relocation and rebranding of an existing franchise would also be considered. Our goal is to complete construction of a new baseball stadium by early 2025 and commence competition in the Spring of 2025."

The A’s lease at RingCentral Coliseum runs through 2024. Their original plan for the Howard Terminal site was to open in 2023. Barring a sudden dramatic shift for their preferred site in Oakland, or another site quickly becomes viable in the surrounding area, they are lined up to be playing elsewhere starting in 2025. That lines up with Nashville’s timeline to be ready for a team.

1. Las Vegas, NV

Within months of the Howard Terminal site surfacing, a legal battle over the ownership rights for the Coliseum site surfaced. The City of Oakland wanted Alameda County to sell its share of the stadium ownership to the city, rather than the A’s. Commissioner Rob Manfred levied a threat if Oakland didn’t drop its lawsuit against the county.

The A’s moving to Las Vegas was the centerpiece of that threat from Manfred. At that point in time mayor Libby Schauf cited a “pain-point” for Oaklanders with the city the commissioner chose. The NFL’s Raiders were preparing to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas in time for the 2020 season.

It seems to be a matter of time before Las Vegas is home to a team in every major North American sport. It already has the NFL and the NHL, and the NBA will surely have plans to put a team there one way or another within a handful of years. The A’s Triple-A team is there, so relocating them to Vegas makes a lot of sense for MLB. Swapping someone in for a callup from the Aviators would only require a car ride (metaphorically or otherwise).

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