Oakland A’s fans hear frustrating prediction from Rob Manfred
By Kevin Henry
For those fans hoping that the Oakland A’s can find a way to stay in the East Bay, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred certainly seemed to douse hope of that happening in a recent radio interview.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says Oakland A’s could well be heading to another location, such as Las Vegas
As the World Series kicked off on Friday night, the end of the 2022 season started come more into focus, meaning talk about what the 2023 MLB campaign will hold will soon grab the headlines. Two spots likely in the headline for the wrong reasons will be Oakland and Tampa Bay, a pair of cities that could lose their MLB franchises because of stadium issues and a lack of attendance.
Of the two franchises, however, it could be the A’s that could be moving in the near future to Las Vegas, Manfred hinted during a radio interview.
Commissioner Rob Manfred tells @MadDogUnleashed that he’s no longer optimistic the #A’s will remain in Oakland (‘It just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen’) and likely will move to Las Vegas. He believes the #Rays will stay put with a new ballpark in Tampa.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 29, 2022
While steps have been taken to keep the A’s in Oakland with a vote on a project that includes a new stadium coming, Manfred has been clear that MLB likes Las Vegas as a location for a new franchise. With the Raiders moving from Oakland and into a new stadium in Las Vegas, it seems likely that the A’s could soon follow suit.
Oakland was at the bottom of MLB attendance rankings in 2022, coming in at 9,973 fans per game. However, with the stadium in sharp decline and fans staying away from games in hopes that their cries for change will be heard, those numbers aren’t necessarily an indication of a region that no longer supports its team.
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Still, all of those hopes for a better day in Oakland may soon be part of the history books as Manfred and MLB sound more and more convinced that Las Vegas is the future for the A’s.