Fresno Mayor wants A's playing there before moving to Las Vegas

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer has expressed interest in having his city host the temporary games of the A's during the transition period between their current lease at the Oakland Coliseum (until 2024) and their eventual relocation to the Las Vegas Strip (starting from the 2028 season).

Dyer told David Taub of GV Wire on Wednesday, July 12, that Fresno is "always a possibility" to host Oakland A's major league team games temporarily due to various factors such as "heat, stadium capacity, and proximity to Oakland."

The major mentioned that the city is prepared "to make itself available" for this purpose and that he is "confident that the A's are doing their due diligence," seemingly including Fresno as a potential option.

However, a more realistic possibility for Fresno is the return of Triple-A baseball to the city. That, in fact, is what Major Dyer might be using all of this talk for.

Dyer expressed his belief that the A's moving to Fresno "would serve to maybe accelerate more people coming downtown," ultimately saying that if that doesn't happen, then Fresno would "want our Triple-A team back.”

David Taub, the author of the column, explains how after the reorganization of the minor leagues following the cancellation of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, Fresno was forced into choosing between having a Single-A team or losing the minor league affiliation altogether.

The major of Fresno considers the ballpark used by the Fresno Grizzlies one capable of hosting Triple-A games and, why not, A's games in the event they chose the city to play temporarily ahead of their final relocation to Las Vegas in 2028.

Other potential locations for the A's in the 2025-2027 span include, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, moving to a minor league stadium in Las Vegas (where the Triple-A affiliate of the A's already plays) or Reno, or perhaps sharing a stadium with the San Francisco Giants.

There is also speculation about the A's extending their lease of the Oakland Coliseum, although that seems a bit far-fetched if/once the relocation process goes through and the A's seal their move away from the Bay in 2028.

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