The Big Lead

MLB News: Has John Fisher made any progress moving the A's to Las Vegas?

By J.P. Hoornstra

Sep 4, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; A sign reading sell, Fisher displayed along the outfield wall in reference Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher (not pictured) during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Sep 4, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; A sign reading sell, Fisher displayed along the outfield wall in reference Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher (not pictured) during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
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Give John Fisher credit for this much: he's finally trying to sell the Oakland A's. Or part of the team, at least.

The New York Post reported this week that Fisher "is looking to cash in on the team’s move to Las Vegas by selling off a (25 percent) stake that values the franchise at $2 billion."

In a vacuum, that's newsworthy enough. Valuations of teams are subject to change, and seldom made public. Clearly the change of location has Fisher feeling bullish about his A's. The team was tagged with a valuation of $1.2 billion prior to the start of the 2024 season by Forbes.

Now that the A's have (presumably) played their final game in Oakland, things are humming along smoothly, right?

Unfortunately for Fisher, news doesn't exist in a vacuum, and the Post's "exclusive" wasn't exactly news.

In Nov. 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported the same exact thing — the $2 billion valuation, the minority stake for sale, the need to raise $500 million to offset stadium costs. The timing of the two reports suggests that Fisher has been floating the offer for at least 11 months with no success.

The startling implication is that, assuming any potential investors exist, none have been swayed in the last year by any progress the A's have made toward moving into a new ballpark/casino complex on the Las Vegas strip.

According to the Nevada Independent, which cited a "team source," the A's are expected to provide written confirmation in December of the financing plans for their new stadium. The financing needs to be in place before construction on the ballpark can begin.

New renderings of the ballpark were presented last week at a Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting. Until or unless Fisher comes up with the money, the ballpark only exists on paper — and the A's future remains very much in limbo too.

The team is planning to play its home games in Sacramento from 2025-27, or until the new ballpark is ready for business.

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