The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Las Vegas fans to get their first look at A’s
LAS VEGAS — The Oakland Athletics return to Las Vegas this weekend for exhibition games against Milwaukee, their first appearance since announcing the relocation to what the team envisions as its future home city.
The games at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the franchise’s Triple-A Aviators, feature an A’s team planning a new regular-season ballpark on the Strip it hopes will open in 2028. The Nevada Legislature last June enacted $380 million in funding for a $1.5 billion stadium, and baseball owners unanimously approved the relocation in November.
Close to a sellout crowd is expected in the 10,000seat capacity ballpark for the Saturday afternoon game, but breezy temperatures that will drop into the 50s could depress attendance Friday night.
Las Vegas has hosted spring training games since at least 1983, and the A’s played their first six regular-season games in 1996 at Cashman Field because of renovations at the Oakland Coliseum. Because of the planned permanent move, this weekend’s game creates an unusual dynamic for players, who will return to Oakland and a fan base irate at owner John Fisher.
“Being from the Bay Area, it kind of sucks, just the fan base and the community that’s in Oakland,” righthander Paul Blackburn said. “I grew up going to A’s games, watching their teams in the early 2000s, the ‘Moneyball’ year (2002). They lose a big part of (the community). But on the other side, you got a community that’s been looking for a big-league team. For the people in Vegas, I would assume it is exciting for them to have a team to look forward to.”
The A’s released renderings for the 33,000-seat stadium on Tuesday, the latest step in the relocation process. That ballpark will be on a nine-acre segment of a 35-acre property owned by Bally’s at the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.
The nearly 67-year-old Tropicana resort that sits on that property will close April 2 in preparation for demolition to make room for ballpark and hotel construction.
Where the A’s play from 2025-27 still hasn’t been announced. Club officials met with the city of Oakland about a potential lease extension. Other possible options include the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park or Triple-A ballparks in Salt Lake City or Sacramento, California.
A Nevada teachers political action committee has sued to block the state from distributing the money approved by the Legislature for the stadium. Construction delays also are possible.
The A’s went 50-112 last season, the team’s most losses since the 1916 Philadelphia A’s, and finished 40 games back in the AL West. Fans protested the Las Vegas move throughout the season, aiming their ire at Fisher.
Source: Bello, Red Sox agree to $55M contract
Young right-hander Brayan Bello and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a $55 million, six-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
Bello’s agreement includes a $21 million team option for 2030 with a $1 million buyout that, if exercised, would make the agreement worth $75 million over seven seasons, the person said.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal had not been announced.
His agreement was first reported by MLB.com.
Bello turns 25 in May and was signed by the Red Sox from the Dominican Republic in 2017 for $28,000.
He was 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA in 28 starts last year for the last-place Red Sox.
Zunino hangs it up at 32 after 11 seasons
Former All-Star catcher Mike Zunino is retiring at age 32 after 11 major league seasons. Zunino was released by Cleveland last June and announced his retirement in an Instagram post Wednesday.
“While my time on the field has concluded, my passion for baseball remains as strong as ever, and I eagerly anticipate exploring new avenues to contribute to the sport,” he wrote. “I am excited to bring what I have learned in the game to the next generation of MLB players, and to give back to the game that has given so much to me.”
Zunino hit .199 with 149 homers and 372 RBIs for Seattle (2013-18), Tampa Bay (2019-22) and Cleveland. He was an All-Star in 2021, when he batted .216 and set a career high with 33 homers along with 62 RBIs, and homered off the New York Mets’ Taijuan Walker in the American League’s 5-2 win at Denver’s Coors Field.