As MLB world descends on Las Vegas, Athletics GM gives stadium update

LAS VEGAS — Just a few blocks away from The Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas strip (where this week's Major League Baseball general manager meetings are being held), the Athletics hope to have their new stadium ready to open for the 2028 season.

During this week's GM meetings, Athletics general manager David Forst took a tour of the nearby site, a corner lot where the Tropicana once stood. Progress is being made on the site, as can be seen by the live construction camera, which documents how the empty lot is starting to take shape as a stadium.

Athletics general manager David Forst provides update on "progress"

"I hadn't been on the site for a few months, and it was great to see the progress that's being made," Forst told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. "They're moving quickly to my eye. I don't have a whole lot of experience, but it's fun to see."

Forst and a group of Athletics executives visited the lot this week, as did MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to check on the progress and make sure things were moving along with the 2028 Opening Day timeline. The Athletics are scheduled to play in Sacramento for two more seasons before moving to Las Vegas and establishing their permanent home.

"It's nice to be there and have that element of that being our future home," Forst said, adding that "every step has made it feel more real" since the implosion of the Tropicana last October.

The Athletics finished their first year in Sacramento with a 76-86 mark, avoiding the American League West cellar thanks in part to a lineup that included AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz, who won the award in a unanimous vote after posting a team-high 5.4 bWAR in 2025. Kurtz also earned a Silver Slugger while slashing .290/.383/.619 with 36 home runs and 86 RBI.

Teammate Jacob Wilson placed second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, marking the fifth time in the AL and ninth time overall that teammates were the winner and runner-up in balloting.

Kurtz and Wilson are expected to be two of the faces for the franchise moving forward, and they could well be some of the star draws for the home team when the stadium in Las Vegas is completed. 

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.