OAKLAND – The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority offered the A’s a 10-year lease proposal Tuesday to remain at O.co Coliseum, an offer that the team quickly rejected.
The terms, though not released publicly, were also shared with Major League Baseball.
[RELATED: A's offered ten-year lease extension at O.co Coliseum]
“We wanted to send a clear statement to the A’s, the fans, Lew Wolff, and Major League Baseball that we want the A’s at the O.co Coliseum and want to keep baseball in Oakland,” said Coliseum Authority chairman Nate Miley.
“A ten year extension, lasting through the 2024 season, gives the team a place to call a home and our fans and sponsors a window to continue investing their time and passion in this team.”
But the A’s issued the following statement Tuesday night:
“The A’s received the Oakland-Alameda County Authority’s proposal earlier this afternoon. While the proposal was for 10 years, it did not address all of our issues. Consequently, we cannot accept the terms of the offer. We have tried to negotiate in good faith for the past several months. As the Authority knows, it is still our preference not to negotiate this agreement through the media.”
A’s co-owner Lew Wolff has talked publicly about his desire for a 10-year lease extension with the Coliseum, where the A’s have played since 1968.
Wolff long has had designs on moving the team to San Jose, but that possibility hangs in doubt as the issue is held up in court. The San Francisco Giants own territorial rights to San Jose and strongly oppose the A’s moving there. Oakland officials have come up with two potential sites for a new A’s ballpark, one at the Port of Oakland and one at the current Coliseum complex, though concrete plans at either site have yet to materialize.
Wolff told CSN California last week that the A’s are willing to invest more than $10 million to improve the Coliseum if a 10-year lease is signed, including the installation of new scoreboards.
The announcement of the lease offer to the A’s comes on the heels of the Golden State Warriors proclaiming their plans to build an arena on a new site in San Francisco and leave Oracle Arena. Also this week, the Raiders missed a deadline to submit a Letter of Interest to work on a possible new football stadium on the current Coliseum site.
