Phillies Harper, Stott Weigh in On Athletics-Vegas Move

Two Philadelphia Phillies that are Las Vegas natives weighed on the likelihood that the Oakland Athletics will move to Las Vegas.

Turns out, Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott aren’t keen on it, even though it would give both the chance to play in their hometown every other year, thanks to Major League Baseball’s new schedule.

Harper told USA Today Sports that he sees Oakland and the Athletics as intertwined.

“I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland,” Harper said. “It’s just not right. They have so much history in Oakland. You’re taking a team out of a city. I’m pretty sad because of all of the history and all of the greatness they’ve seen there.”

The Las Vegas stadium plan got final approval from the Nevada State Legislature on Wednesday, paving the way for the Athletics’ final legislative hurdle to move from Oakland to Las Vegas. The funding now goes to Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo for a signature.

The move requires MLB approval. Commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Thursday that a relocation panel to examine the move will be led by Milwaukee owner Mark Attanasio. That approval is expected.

The Athletics’ new stadium will be near the Tropicana Hotel property on the Las Vegas Strip. It is expected to be ready for the 2026 season. It’s not clear if the Las Vegas Aviators, the Triple-A affiliate for the Athletics, will stay in Las Vegas.

The Athletics will also compete for a more competitive sports dollar that includes the Las Vegas Raiders — which relocated from Oakland — and the newly-crowned Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights.

Those Golden Knights, Stott said, are a great example of what he would have hoped the city would have gotten in a baseball team — one they could call their own.

“We would rather see an expansion team than a relocated team,’’ Stott said. “That’s why fans are so crazy about the Knights. It’s Vegas’ first team. It’s ours. It was kind of easy for people to gravitate towards that. Vegas wasn’t a big hockey town. It is now.”

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