Manfred: No plan to move Athletics to Vegas, but relocation a possibility

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Tuesday he told the mayor of Oakland that the Athletics might relocate if a new stadium can't be built, but there is no plan to move the team to Las Vegas.

Manfred said he made the comment in passing during a meeting with Libby Schaaf last week, according to Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Manfred and Schaaf were discussing the city's lawsuit over the partial sale of Alameda County's shares in the Oakland Coliseum to the team.

"In a recent meeting with the mayor of Oakland, I did mention Las Vegas in the context of pointing out that the A's might have to relocate if a new stadium can't be built in Oakland," Manfred said. "There is, however, no plan to move to Las Vegas."

But Manfred did point out to Akers the league will have to explore all options if the A's are unable to construct a new ballpark in Oakland.

"There will be a formal process that will consider all potential relocation sites," he said.

The A's want to purchase the Coliseum in order to redevelop the land around it to subsidize the construction of a privately-owned stadium at Howard Terminal. The city of Oakland wants full ownership of the Coliseum and has sued Alameda County to prevent the sale, but it reportedly can't match the team's $85-million offer.

Due to the pending lawsuit, a judge issued a temporary restraining order last week blocking the transaction.