Timeline For A’s New Stadium In Vegas Revealed

The Oakland A's are set to move to Las Vegas, pending an upcoming relocation vote by the other owners in Major League Baseball. Though there are still a few hurdles to overcome, that much has generally been determined after the Nevada legislature cleared the way for taxpayer dollars to help pay for the stadium.

READ: NEVADA SENATE APPROVES BILL TO FUND A’S NEW VEGAS STADIUM ON SAME DAY AS REVERSE BOYCOTT

But a new presentation by the A's ballpark construction manager to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority revealed how long it'll be before the team can play in their new stadium. According to the proposal, construction is scheduled to start in April 2025, with a completion date in January 2028.

That's relatively quick for a major stadium project, especially considering that the site is currently occupied by the Tropicana Hotel. It also though, raises several questions about the A's relocation, namely, where the heck do they play in the meantime?

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Two baseball fans watch the Oakland Athletics play the Texas Rangers in front of a small crowd at RingCentral Coliseum on May 26, 2022 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Las Vegas Will Require A's To Maintain Stadium Well Into The Future

While the timeline clears up when the A's will be able to move into their new stadium, there's no indication where they'll play through the 2027 season. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred previously declined to answer when asked about it, but presumably they could try to remain at the Coliseum in Oakland for the next few years. Or play in a smaller, minor league park in Las Vegas temporarily.

The Las Vegas Stadium, a AAA facility, has around 8,200 seats available. That might not sound like enough for a major league team, but the A's averaged just over 10,000 fans per game in 2023.

Las Vegas Stadium Authority members also revealed that the A's will be responsible for significant repairs on the new building, once completed.

“Making it crystal clear: the A’s are responsible for all repairs, all capital repairs, to a standard,” Stadium Authority attorney Mark Arnold said. They're also going to require the construction of new parking facilities for the stadium, though they likely won't be enough to cover an entire stadium's worth of visitors.

Given the A's history, it's no surprise they're also evaluating what should be done with the stadium if the team decides to leave after its 30-year lease is up. If attendance dries up in the desert, the team could abandon a massive stadium on a prime piece of Las Vegas Strip real estate, which has concerned Stadium Authority officials.

That said, we now know the soonest possible date for the Las Vegas A's to get into their new building. And somehow, it's just over four years away.