A’s to play in Vegas for 2 spring games
The A’s will play two spring training games next year at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of their Triple-A affiliate, facing Cleveland on March 12 and 13.
The two teams also met for “Big League Weekend” at the Triple-A Aviators ballpark in spring 2020, with the A’s sending a split-squad team that included a number of lineup regulars.
Don Logan, president and COO of the Aviators, said in a release the team is “excited to welcome back Big League Weekend to Las Vegas Ballpark after a year’s absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. … Las Vegas Ballpark will once again provide an outstanding atmosphere and environment for Major League Baseball.”
Before Las Vegas Ballpark opened in 2019, Las Vegas hosted annual spring exhibitions at Cashman Field, often featuring the Cubs. Cleveland visited in 2018 and the A’s in 2015.
Still, the next scheduled series arrives as the A’s explore Las Vegas as a potential relocation site if their pursuit of a new ballpark in Oakland does not materialize.
A’s officials have made a series of visits to Southern Nevada since May and were recently thought to be narrowing a list of possible sites for a major-league ballpark in the Las Vegas area.
In July, team president Dave Kaval said he would even consider Las Vegas Ballpark a possible temporary home for the A’s, “like maybe for a gap year,” if necessary while a new stadium was being built. Kaval said the scenario was hypothetical.
In Oakland, the A’s have proposed a $12 billion waterfront ballpark and development project at Howard Terminal near Jack London Square. Negotiations on financial terms for the project are ongoing between the team and city of Oakland, which is also still working on the plan’s final environmental review.
This month, the A’s, through the Triple-A Aviators, initially sent a survey to fans of the affiliate seeking input on whether a major-league baseball team would receive support in the Las Vegas area. The A’s subsequently sent a similar survey about their potential interest in games in Las Vegas to their own fans.
The A’s are scheduled to play their 2022 spring training opener on Feb. 26 and for split-squad games on March 12 and 13 against the Rockies and Rangers in Arizona with players who don’t travel to Las Vegas.