Oakland city officials to offer A's lease extension to play at Coliseum
The city of Oakland is extending an opportunity for the A's to stay in town for another five years, despite owner John Fisher's plan to relocate the team to Las Vegas.
Reports surfaced over the weekend that city officials would present Oakland Athletics owners with an offer that would extend the baseball team's current lease in addition to giving the team a chance to opt out at three years.
Major League Baseball owners cast their vote supporting the team's proposed move to Las Vegas back in November.
A representative for Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on Monday confirmed that city officials are asking the team to pay a $97 million extension fee.
After initially refusing to comment on negotiations, a team spokesperson also said that representatives from the A's would be meeting with Oakland and Alameda County officials Tuesday to discuss the deal.
As part of the offer, Oakland leaders want major league baseball to commit to giving the city an expansion team. The A's have also looked at playing in Sacramento and Salt Lake City.
The team's pending move to Las Vegas has raised tensions among fans. Hundreds of A's supporters calling for Fisher to sell the team gathered in the Coliseum parking lot last week during the team's home opener for a massive tailgate party/protest.