"Nothing taken off the table" in A's lease discussions with Oakland
This morning the Oakland A's sent team president Dave Kaval to the A's offices in Jack London Square to meet with Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan and Oakland chief of staff Leigh Hanson about potentially extending the team's lease to play at the Coliseum past 2024 until their proposed ballpark in Las Vegas is move-in ready.
Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle gave a rundown of the meeting, saying that no decision was reached, but there are plans for future conversations. Alameda County supervisor David Haubert also noted that "things have to happen quickly" with these negotiations, presumably because the A's are on the clock to find an interim home, and because the Oakland Roots and Soul are eyeing the Coliseum as their home for next season's matches.
But one quote from Haubert rang a little louder than the rest. He said, "We had a very open and frank conversation about all different scenarios and alternatives and options, and nothing was taken off the table."
We know what Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has been asking for, and those demands are listed at the bottom of Ostler's piece: A guarantee of an expansion team in Oakland from MLB, leaving the team name and colors in Oakland, and a rent hike from the current level of $1.2 million.
If the A's continue to stay at the Coliseum, they would continue to receive money from their television deal, which is worth somewhere between $67-70 million per season. Asking the team to pay at least $10 million in rent each season doesn't seem like a big ask.
The fact that leaving the team name and colors and expansion weren't rejected out of hand is extremely interesting. It could be a situation where Kaval has to pretend to go back to A's owner John Fisher and let him know what was said before they can reject those terms, but there's a sliver of a chance that Major League Baseball is a little desperate and could be willing to grant the city an expansion team.
It's not likely, but it's possible.
Think about it this way: With Las Vegas spoken for, expansion in the west would likely come down to Salt Lake City and Oakland. Portland is looming, but unlikely. If you're MLB, would you rather try Oakland with a new owner (because they won't force anyone to sell), or SLC which is a complete unknown?
If the goal is to bring money into the game, then the Bay Area would be the correct choice. Throw in an owner that's trying, and baseball would thrive in Oakland. Whether or not Giants ownership has the pull to stop that from happening is another question to consider.
As for Thursday's meeting, nothing was decided except that they'll continue to negotiate, which is a step in the right direction.