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The MLB All-Star break was a huge success, as the Home Run Derby and All-Star game were exciting throughout.
However, it sounds like the mayor of Oakland, Sheng Thao, used some time during the break to talk with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.
As of now, the plan is for the Oakland A’s to move to Las Vegas but Thao believes the team should remain in her city.
According to The Athletic, “Thao said she gave MLB commissioner Rob Manfred documented evidence of her city’s plan to build a new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics.”
Additionally, “she presented Manfred with 31 packages, one for him and one for each major-league owner, detailing her city’s efforts to get a park built on a waterfront site at Howard Terminal.”
From the sounds of it, Sheng Thao has a clear plan after all to help build a new stadium for the A’s.
The Athletic also reports that Manfred had previously claimed “There is no Oakland offer, OK? They never got to a point where they had a plan to build a stadium at any site.”
But that certainly isn’t the case, as “Thao released a statement immediately, calling Manfred’s claim ‘totally false,'” per The Athletic.
Clearly, the Oakland mayor wants to keep the A’s in her city rather than letting them move to Las Vegas.
In fact, she’s doing everything she can to keep the team in Oakland. Thao explains how she didn’t like how the A’s ownership group didn’t really acknowledge the cities plans to build a new stadium and went ahead with the Las Vegas plans.
However, the Vegas move is on standby for its own reasons right now. But Thao remains optimistic, via The Athletic.
“I’ll be very honest. I was obviously upset. This felt really unfair. But there are no shovels in the ground (in Las Vegas). And until there is a shovel in the ground and it’s starting to be built, it’s still reality that the Oakland A’s can still be in Oakland. That’s the stance I’m going to continue to take.”
Perhaps Sheng Thao can prevent the move, but there are numerous moving parts at play. There’s a possibility the ownership group just doesn’t want to be in Oakland anymore.
Either way, it’s cool to see the mayor step up and make a true effort to keep the A’s in Oakland. But only time will tell if it works or not.