Why John Fisher can catch up with the San Francisco A’s in the 2025-27 Bay Area
San Francisco athletics? This is clearly a possibility – at least on a part-time basis – in the future.
In an interview with the Nevada Independent, Oakland Athletics president Dave Kaval listed Oracle Park as one of three options for the A’s to play their regular season home games from 2025 through ’27. The team’s lease on the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and the stadium is expected to open. A on the Las Vegas Strip no later than 2028.
This three-year window puts the housing situation in limbo. Kaval said the A’s narrowed down their options to Oracle Park, the Coliseum, and Summerlin, Nevada, home of the A’s Triple-A affiliate.
“I think those are the three most likely scenarios and how that happens,” Kaval told the Nevada Independent, which published the report on Thursday and said the interview took place on August 15. “.
The Giants haven’t commented on Kaval’s statement, but according to an industry source, the idea of the A’s playing a limited number of games — as many as 40 — in one season at Oracle Park has been floated around Third and King, with the Giants potentially being able to host a portion of the game. From home schedule A.
The Giants won’t be interested in any more games than those in any season because they use their facilities for many revenue-generating events throughout the MLB season through Giants Enterprises, which books concerts, meetings, receptions, and other activities during the season when the team is on the road, as well as during the offseason. .
Although Cavall said the Coliseum is still an option, he would need to request an extension from Oakland and Alameda County, who jointly operate ownership of the Coliseum. Oakland remains at odds with the A’s after they pulled out of negotiations over the Howard Terminal stadium project to focus on Las Vegas.
One of the main benefits of the A’s staying local for those three years is that they will continue to receive significant revenue from the regional sports network contract, which will remain intact as long as they remain in the Bay Area media market, the sixth largest in the world. nation. According to Sportico, the A’s earned $53 million last year as part of a 25-year deal with NBC Sports California that runs through 2033, though the Chronicle reported in April that the annual value of the deal escalated to nearly $60 million. .
Owner John Fisher, known for his frugality, probably won’t easily walk away from $60 million per season. This is underlined when the added risks are realized as additional reasons why the A’s owner is so desperate to secure a “binding agreement” for their Las Vegas football stadium by January 15th. If the deal doesn’t happen by that date, according to MLB’s collective bargaining agreement, the revenue-sharing money — dollars distributed from higher-revenue teams to lower-revenue teams — will be gone.
Under the terms of the CBA, A-s are progressively reinstated as revenue-sharing recipients, receiving 25% of the full share in 2022, which Forbes has estimated at $11 million. This year, they will receive 50%, with 75% and 100% in subsequent years – as long as the binding stadium agreement is reached by the January 2024 deadline.
If Fisher gets the maximum revenue-sharing cap of at least $44m and RSN gets him another $60m, that’s more than 100m reasons for him to fast-track the Las Vegas stadium deal while staying in the Bay Area for the interim years.
The A’s won’t get their RSN money for the Bay Area once they move to Las Vegas. However, that contract will be extended for matches in Sacramento, the Chronicle reported last month. Sacramento is a neutral site and the current home of the Giants’ best farm team.
It’s possible the Giants could be encouraged by Commissioner Rob Manfred to take in the A’s as long as he guarantees the A’s will eventually leave the Bay Area. The Giants, who would benefit greatly from the one-team market, held onto their territorial rights in South Bay, granted to them by the A’s’ previous ownership, to prevent the A’s from moving to San Jose.
Although the Giants could collect the A’s rent at Oracle Park—perhaps much more than the $1.25 million a year the A’s pay at the Coliseum—and get a cut of the concessions, parking, and other game-day revenue, Oracle Park’s involvement would be disadvantageous on many fronts. .
One challenge is where to place a temporary clubhouse near Oracle Park, because the Giants’ baseball operations division won’t want to empty the home club when its team leaves town. Another issue is ticket pricing – the Giants won’t want to lose fans to cheaper A games, so the A prices may need to be the same as the Giants.
Summerlin, the third option mentioned by Kaval, has plenty of drawbacks – other than lost Bay Area TV money – including a small capacity and sweltering heat in a roofless desert arena.
If the A’s are unsuccessful in extending the lease on the Coliseum, there may be a way to play games in April and May at Summerlin, and move to San Francisco for the summer months, which would enable them to keep their RSN money.
Reno was mentioned as an option during hearings by the Nevada Legislature in June that resulted in Fisher getting $380 million in public funding for his stadium, but the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A facility’s substandard facilities and higher elevation — plus lost TV money — would make him an even lesser alternative. much desire.
Although the Cavalry listed three options for interim years, Fisher was quoted this week in the Las Vegas Review-Journal as saying that the A’s “have not had a conversation” with MLB about where they will play from 2025 to 2027. MLB said the matter would be piecemeal. in the transfer process.
Wherever he was playing in those three years, the players’ association would need to sign the signature. Fisher recently submitted his transfer request to MLB, to be reviewed by the Transfer Committee. A 75% approval rating in the 30 MLB owners’ vote is required for a transfer.
Contact John Shea: jshea@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @JohnSheaHey
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