Against all odds, baseball may make its way to Sin City after all.
Key Takeaways
- The Athletics held a groundbreaking ceremony on the Las Vegas Strip for their new ballpark Monday.
- The stadium is expected to be ready to open ahead of the 2028 MLB season.
- Despite public pushback and controversy around the team's departure from Oakland, key figures voiced complete confidence in the relocation.
After various delays, repeated disputes over funding, and expansive protests from fans in Oakland, the Athletics, currently based out of Sacramento, Calif., held a ceremony Monday morning to celebrate breaking ground on a new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
"These things take so long to actually make happen," owner John Fisher said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I think today was a great celebration of all the people it takes just to bring (us) just to this spot."
The A's, who unceremoniously left their longtime home of Oakland Coliseum after the 2024 season, are expected to spend three seasons in Sacramento at Sutter Health Park, usually home of the AAA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, the Sacramento River Cats.
The team is then expected to complete construction in time for the 2028 MLB season.
"Then the next celebration is going to be Opening Day, when we can celebrate the thousands of workers who are putting all of their time and effort and everything behind actually building the stadium itself," Fisher added.
Alongside the A's owner, Major League Baseball's commissioner Rob Manfred was in attendance at the event to celebrate the milestone. Despite public outcry, Manfred remained steadfast in ensuring that the stadium would be ready on time for its projected opening.
"I'll tell you one thing, absolutely, for certain, I will be here, Opening Day 2028, to celebrate with John Fisher, his entire team, and I hope the entire state of Nevada," Manfred asserted.
We have shovels in the ground 🤩 pic.twitter.com/jymYdRKysU
— Athletics (@Athletics) June 23, 2025
How will Vegas' new ballpark stack up?
Among the famous faces also in attendance at the site of the former Tropicana Las Vegas were Oakland A's fan favorites Dallas Braden and Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, and Clark County commissioners and legislators.
"I first spoke to Commissioner Manfred years ago, it seems like," Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson said. "In fact, I met with the A's at the Mob Museum. We were trying to keep it a secret."
The stadium will reportedly include up to $380 million in public funding as approved by the Nevada Legislature, with the A's handling the remaining construction costs.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the stadium is expected to feature more than 900,000 square feet with 30,000 seats and additional standing room and luxury suites. That would notably be MLB's smallest permanent stadium by capacity, only ahead of the temporary minor-league homes of the A's and the Tampa Bay Rays, currently situated in friendly 10,000-seat confines of Steinbrenner Field, the Spring Training home of the New York Yankees and their affiliate single-A affiliate Tampa Tarpons.
"All of us at Major League Baseball, all the owners, are excited to be adding Major League Baseball to the entertainment alternatives available here in Southern Nevada," Manfred said. "The Athletics have a long and proud history … I think about today as the beginning of new chapter in that great history."
