MLB commissioner meets with Oakland mayor on city's stadium proposal for A's

During the All-Star festivities in Seattle, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred met with Oakland mayor Sheng Thao to discuss the future of the Athletics in the East Bay. 

Per Ken Rosenthal for The Athletic, the two met on Sunday to go over city's plans to build a new stadium for the team – despite owner John Fisher's continued push to move the franchise to Las Vegas. For years, there had been talk about developing a new stadium on the waterfront at Howard Terminal, with various officials from the city, MLB and the A's unable to come to an agreement.

Thao came to meet with Manfred a month after the commissioner made caustic remarks about Oakland's lack of a proposal for an Oakland Coliseum replacement. She called the meeting to prove that there was a legitimate option on the table, offering proposals not only to Manfred but to all thirty team owners.

In an interview with Rosenthal, Thao said that she believed the meeting accomplished its goal of offering some transparency to the relocation committee:

We did what we came here to do. To ensure there was transparency. To make sure this dialogue was open, and continues to be open. I was the one who reached out to Manfred for this meeting. I want to be clear about that. There is no ego in this at all. (We wanted) to ensure that the (relocation) committee understands all of our deal points and that there was, and is, a proposal. And there is room, and a want, for a new stadium for the Oakland A’s in Oakland.

In June, the Nevada senate passed a bill that would put $380 million towards the construction of a new stadium in Las Vegas, which seemingly began to groove a path towards the A's relocation. There appear to be some hiccups on the way to making this dream a reality, as some local leaders are balking at the potential public subsidy, one made not long after offering millions towards the development of Allegiant Stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders, who twice called Oakland home.

Thao also expressed interest in an expansion franchise if the A's are given the go-ahead to leave Oakland, though her preference would be to see the A's stay in the city while Las Vegas is given a whole new franchise. She told Rosenthal:

If they do leave for Nevada, then absolutely we (would) welcome that conversation around an expansion team. I believe that Las Vegas is suited for an expansion team and the Oakland A’s should remain rooted in Oakland with its strong fan base. It (the franchise) has been there for over 50 years. That’s my first take and I’m going to keep fighting hard for it. I’m not going down quietly or easily.

The A's say that they will finish its lease through the end of the 2024 season.