A’s negotiations with Oakland for lease extension ‘productive’

Still can’t help but be skeptical

The Athletics second meeting with city officials happened this afternoon and early reports are that the meeting went well.

The Athletics put out a statement after the meeting:

“We once again had a positive and productive meeting with the City of Oakland and Alameda County regarding the extension of our lease at the Coliseum,”

The club and the city have been at odds over what it’s going to cost to get a lease extension done. A lot of money is on the line for the franchise due to the TV deal that is exclusively for Bay Area teams. The city has been adamant so far about trying to leverage the team into leaving behind the Athletics history and logo, among other things. Otherwise the city is looking for a guarantee that they’ll get an expansion team whenever MLB decides to do so.

That seems like a much more likely scenario but at the moment there are no issues that seem to discourage continuing negotiations. The third meeting is now set for April 2nd, just under three weeks away. Circle the date.