The Oakland Athletics could consider a temporary move to Utah.
But Salt Lake City is not the target. Instead, the team is more likely to play its home games in the southwest corner of the Valley, Big League Utah stakeholders say.
Looking for a temporary home between the team’s move from Oakland and the opening of its new Las Vegas stadium in 2028, A’s executives met Thursday with executives of the Larry H. Miller Company in the Utah, visiting the construction site of their new baseball stadium. stadium at Daybreak.
“We hosted team officials on Thursday and demonstrated that we can accommodate their approximate needs,” Larry H. Miller Company CEO Steve Starks said in a statement. “Our organization and the state are excited and able to host the Athletics until their new stadium in Las Vegas is completed.”
LHM is building a new baseball stadium in South Jordan’s Daybreak neighborhood for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. But Starks said the stadium, which is expected to open in 2025, could host the Major League Baseball club first. Conversations between the Athletics and LHM have focused on the team’s move to Utah for all 81 home games in the 2025-2027 seasons.
“This new ballpark will meet the needs of the A’s and has been the focus of their interest,” Starks said.
Starks said the A’s did not visit Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City.
The Athletics’ lease in Oakland expires at the end of the 2024 season. But their new $1.5 billion ballpark at the current Tropicana Hotel site won’t be ready until 2028. Athletics officials team would consider a number of possibilities, including extending the lease of the Coliseum, the Triple-A Aviators’ Las Vegas Ballpark, the Giants’ Oracle Park, the Reno Aces’ Grand Nevada Field.
Perhaps Utah’s biggest competition comes from Sacramento. A officials also visited that city’s Sutter Health Park on Thursday. But the deadline to find housing in 2025 is approaching, as MLB needs to know before creating the 2025 season schedule in July.
If the A’s chose Daybreak as their destination, Starks said that would mean the Salt Lake Bees would likely continue to play at Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City. “Our unique two-stadium solution would ensure baseball remains in the Salt Lake market as the Salt Lake Bees return to Smith’s Ballpark for additional seasons,” he said.
Playing at the West’s other Triple-A stadiums would likely mean a stadium shared between a major league team and a minor league team, which would present possible scheduling difficulties.
Starks also touted planned features of the Daybreak ballpark that Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City cannot offer – including larger locker rooms for major league teams, locker rooms for umpires and coaches, practice and batting cages for home and visiting MLB teams. .
Construction of the new stadium began in October. Original plans called for a capacity of 7,500 seats. LHM, however, plans to add temporary structures to the stadium in recognition of the A’s potential move. If the site is chosen, it would increase capacity to approximately 11,000. The park could also be decorated entirely in A’s colors, they say.
A year ago Wednesday, the Salt Lake Bees announced they were leaving Smith’s Ballpark after the 2024 season for a new stadium in the Daybreak development in the southwest corner of the Valley. Since then, the city has been exploring possibilities for the stadium and its grounds, but has not announced a final decision.
A statement from Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s office, however, touts the benefits of the A’s moving to Smith’s Ballpark in the capital, not Daybreak. “Mayor Mendenhall has always said that Salt Lake City is a big league city and thinks Smith’s Ballpark would be a great temporary home for the A’s,” Andrew Wittenberg, spokesman for the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, said in a press release, questioned about the meeting of A officials.
“Even for a short time, MLB could be a catalyst for the neighborhood. Mayor Mendenhall takes her commitment to the residents of the Ballpark neighborhood seriously and looks forward to moving forward with a long-term strategy that prioritizes activating this property throughout the year. We cannot comment on ongoing conversations around Major League Baseball at this time, but we look forward to the day when Major League Baseball is played in Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson released a statement in support of baseball in the county, no matter where it is played.
“The fact that the Oakland A’s are considering making Salt Lake County a temporary home is exciting,” the release said. “They will see what we have known for a long time: Utah is a great place for baseball. This is another chance to show Major League Baseball that we are ready for the big leagues.
Regardless of Oakland management’s final decision regarding their temporary home, the Millers are continuing their attempt to bring a separate, permanent Major League Baseball expansion team to Salt Lake City in the future. They hope the A’s stay will serve as a successful audition for the area’s lifelong baseball dreams.
2024-01-20 03:10:09
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