A’s Announce Tentative Las Vegas Agreement with Nevada Gov.

The Oakland A’s and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) on Wednesday announced the next necessary step in bringing Major League Baseball to Las Vegas — a tentative agreement between their offices, Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine, and Clark County officials on a bill to be considered by the Nevada Legislature.

The press release announcing the agreement stated that the bill would create a “sports and entertainment improvement district” for a 30,000-seat, publicly owned, retractable roof stadium located on the Las Vegas Strip. However, it left out one crucial detail: how the $1.5 billion ballpark, constructed on the site of an imploded Tropicana Las Vegas, would be funded.

According to KVVU-TV/Las Vegas, Nevada lawmakers are willing to contribute $180 million. According to KLAS-TV/Las Vegas, Clark County agreed to come up with the other $120 million.

The deal is expected to be announced on Saturday.

No doubt adding to negotiation tensions, a public financing package needs to be approved by the Legislature before it adjourns on June 5, though it could be voted on in a special legislative session.

According to the press release, the bill will be introduced “in the coming days.”

What the Press Release Said

The press release quoted Gov. Lombardo as stating: “This agreement follows months of negotiations between the state, the county, and the A’s, and I believe it gives us a tremendous opportunity to continue building on the professional sports infrastructure of southern Nevada. Las Vegas is clearly a sports town, and Major League Baseball should be a part of it.”

Meantime, the Oakland A’s are playing record-breakingly bad baseball. Following their 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, they currently stand at 10-40. That ties the 1932 Boston Red Sox for the worst 50-game start of any major-league team in the past 100 years.