Elephant Rumblings: Vegas ballpark gets more expensive

MLB news roundup

Happy Thursday everyone! The weekend is once again within reach. Hang in there.

The Athletics announced earlier in the week that their planned Las Vegas stadium is going to be more expensive that originally thought. Considering who runs the team it’s not at all surprising to see the price tag going up by hundreds of millions of dollars, all before a shovel is even in the ground and funding is still yet to be officially and finally secured.

That’s a quarter billion extra dollars than what was originally expected, and the rise in price is somewhat expected for the ballpark that Fisher envisions. The cost is now at roughly $1.75 billion after inflation and an additional purchase of land that makes fitting the ballpark onto the parcel easier. Bally’s Corp, which is working closely with Fisher on this project, also plans to build a resort right next to the stadium though that is much more in the planning phase than the ballpark itself.

Add in this reported “seat-cooling feature” that has been floating around for a bit now, along with upgraded audio and sound systems so that the venue can host concerts, and it’s easy to see that this might not be the last time that the final price tag will go up. Reportedly any cost overruns will be covered by Fisher and the Athletics but with how fast the state of Nevada was willing to hand out taxpayer dollars those overruns could be put back on the people of the state and future people who attend games.

This is all in the context of a “funding gap” reportedly of just $36 million between Fisher and the city of Oakland. The ballpark that would have been located at Howard Terminal was projected to cost $1 billion flat, but even with expected cost overruns it still would have been far and away cheaper to build a ballpark right in Oakland’s backyard. Fisher also wanted a $12 billion dollar investment in the surrounding area, which is a huge ask and made it seem like Fisher wasn’t serious about stAying. Instead he’s elected for a far more expensive ballpark in a smaller market, is preparing to sell part of the team to bridge the funding gap, along with no $12 billion investment in the surrounding area. You make of that what you want.

Today the Stadium Board Authority will meet today to vote and likely pass three agreements with the A’s, dictating terms, construction, how many years the team is tied to the stadium, and what happens if the Athletics try to leave before the end of the lease, which is expected to be for a minimum of 30 years. The team itself will be providing documents showing that they can in fact come up with the money for the stadium, which they have four letters claiming they have the funding. That means if everything goes as expected tomorrow, the A’s would be on track to break groumd in spring.

Have a great morning, afternoon, and evening everyone.

A’s Coverage:

• Rule 5 Draft Opportunity One Week Away
• Season In Review: Michael Kelly
• Where the A’s stand entering the Winter Meetings
• A’s stadium cost rises to $175M, takes major step towards construction
• Mets finalize contract with former Athletic Frankie Montas

MLB News & Interest:

• Outfielder Juan Soto reportedly nearing free agency decision
• Two teams join Garrett Crochet bidding
• Players, coaches, fans expressing skepticism towards Golden At-Bat
• Yankees recently met with Max Fried, Corbin Burnes
• Mariners looking to trade for marque infielder
• Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes joins MLBPA’s executive subcommittee
• Today in Baseball History

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