The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has reared its head in every conceivable way. The Oakland A’s, and the rest of Major League Baseball, have seen the game placed in an indefinite hiatus. While the league and the Player’s Union are trying to get some semblance of a season together, the pandemic is refusing to go away.
The pandemic is also interfering with the A’s plans in other ways. They had hoped to build a new stadium at Howard Terminal, beginning play in 2023. However, legal setbacks, as well as traffic, legal, and political hurdles, remain in place. The A’s still say they are optimistic, but optimism can only go so far.
There may be another option available. Due to the pandemic, the City of Oakland is in a financial crunch. As such, following extensive debate, the city is looking to sell its half of the site of the Oakland Colesium to the A’s.
This directive is a stark departure from where the city stood less than a year ago. Back in October, several city leaders filed a lawsuit attempting to stop Alameda County from selling their half of the site to the franchise. That lawsuit was withdrawn following the urging of Major League Baseball, and certainly did not help relations between the city and the A’s.
Instead, this reversal of course could solve multiple issues at the same time. The city would get a needed infusion of cash, while ridding themselves of the sinkhole that is the Colesium. Meanwhile, the A’s would have a 155 acre site where they could theoretically construct a new stadium.