PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — For years, Major League Baseball has flirted with the idea of relocating the Oakland Athletics to Portland. But on Wednesday night, team president Dave Kaval announced that the team had signed an agreement to purchase a new ballpark in Sin City.
According to the Associated Press, the deal was finalized just last week after the team had struggled to swap out the “run-down” Oakland Coliseum for a more up-to-date stadium.
Kaval says it took two years to find a site in Las Vegas to house the team. Now, with the recent agreement, the city can expect a 49-acre ballpark near the Las Vegas Strip with a capacity of up to 35,000 people.
Previously, Charlotte, N.C., Nashville, Tenn., and Portland were named as cities that could host the baseball team.
This news may seem unfortunate for the Portland baseball fans who have pushed for the city to have its own MLB team, but the Portland Diamond Project — which has led the movement for professional baseball to come to the Rose City — says this could be a step in the right direction.
“[MLB] Commissioner Manfred has been very consistent in his messaging that the league would like to expand to 32 teams but needs the A’s and Ray’s situations to be settled,” Portland Diamond Project Founder and President Craig Cheek said. “This is terrific news to us as it begins to help crystallize potential timing for league expansion which we have every intention on pointing the league toward Oregon and the Portland Metro area for that West Coast fit.”
A professional Portland team could pose challenges for the Seattle Mariners, but Commissioner Manfred already told The Seattle Times that Portland was a possibility for MLB in 2017.
According to Cheek, PDP is actively seeking real estate that could host a Portland baseball team when the time comes.