The Athletics have not yet officially moved to Las Vegas or even to Sacramento, their temporary home for at least the next three seasons, yet they already have their eyes on playing games in other markets. According to the team's proposed 30-year non-relocation agreement, obtained by the Nevada Independent, the Athletics are "requesting to play up to eight home games a season away from the team's future $1.5 billion Las Vegas ballpark."
The Las Vegas Stadium Authority board is slated to vote on the arrangement on July 18.
Athletics president Dave Kaval claims that the team wants to play neutral site home games in order to build the franchise's brand and to attract players and sponsors. It's unclear where, precisely, the A's intend to play those games -- be it domestically or internationally. It's also unclear that any player would be more inclined to join a franchise because they played 10% of their home schedule elsewhere; generally speaking, players prefer franchises that are willing to pay them market value, something the Athletics haven't been willing to do in quite some time.
Steve Hill, the chairman of the Stadium Authority, told the Independent that the Athletics might have to reduce their requested amount of non-Vegas home games so that it doesn't impact their bonding capacity -- money that the team seeks to build the stadium in the first place. The number of home games played directly correlates to the bonding capacity, Hill said. (The Athletics are also, as of recently, seeking minority investors in an effort to raise an estimated $500 million for the stadium's construction. They're still believed to be on schedule to open come 2028.)
Major League Baseball typically allows teams to play up to four home games elsewhere. In recent years, MLB has been more proactive about playing international contests, like the Seoul and London series, although those series tend to often run just two games in length.
