Oakland A's say team and city officials "far apart" on terms for Coliseum extension
Oakland Athletics fans will probably not be surprised to hear that team officials weren't brimming with optimism after meeting with Oakland and Alameda County representatives about a possible extension to the A's lease at the Coliseum.
Over the past weekend, news surfaced that Oakland city officials would present the A's with an offer that would extend the baseball team's current lease, which is set to run out at the end of this season. The A's have also looked at playing in Sacramento and Salt Lake City.
The city reportedly planned to offer the team a five-year, $97 million extension for five years with a chance to opt out at three years. As part of the offer, Oakland leaders want the Major League Baseball to commit to giving the city an expansion team.
The A's would also be required to assume field conversion costs and sell their stake in the Coliseum to a local developer, according to Oakland officials.
Representatives with the team released a brief statement early Tuesday afternoon.
"We appreciate Oakland's engagement and also we are far apart on the terms needed to agree on an extension," the statement read.
Later Tuesday afternoon, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao released a statement on the meeting that said, "Oakland made a fair and reasonable offer to the A's. We await their response and look forward to continuing discussions as necessary."
The A's are hoping their new stadium in Las Vegas will be ready for the 2028 season, but they need a place to play until then. The legendary Tropicana Las Vegas hotel and casino, which is on the site where the new stadium will be built, closed for good on Tuesday.
MLB owners cast their vote supporting the team's proposed move to Las Vegas back in November.
The team's pending move to Las Vegas has raised tensions among fans. Hundreds of A's supporters gathered in the Coliseum parking lot last week during the team's home opener for a massive tailgate party/protest, calling for team owner John Fisher to sell the team.
On Monday at the game against the Boston Red Sox, A's fans talked about their mixed emotions for the team at this juncture.
"I believe that the city should not back down. If the A's don't want to work with them, then they need to leave," said Modesto resident Richard Gomez.
"We can't just sit here with no franchise and no baseball. It would be devastating to our community," said Peter Marino of Alameda.
The way the A's played on Monday, some fans might be happier if they just left. The team with the lowest payroll in the major leagues committed five errors while Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck struck out 10 A's batters in a 9-0 shutout.
The announced attendance for the game was 6,618 fans.
