Major League Baseball’s two Bay Area teams may be moving in together.
Negotiations between the Oakland A’s and O.co Coliseum have reportedly stalled, leaving the defending AL West champs currently without a home. If no short-term lease can be agreed upon, the A’s could move their home games to San Francisco’s AT&T Park, with MLB facilitating the transition, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“The A’s two-year home stint at AT&T Park, which would start next season, would probably be the first step toward moving the team out of the Bay Area,” the Chronicle reports.
If the proposal — which may be strictly a scare tactic to influence negotiations in the A’s favor — does come to fruition, it would mark the first time two major league teams shared a ballpark since the Yankees and Mets did so briefly in the mid-1970s. It would also require some finagling of the schedule, as the A’s and Giants share nine home games next season, not to mention the issues that would arise if both teams reach the playoffs.
The A’s and the Coliseum, which also houses the NFL’s Raiders, have been at odds over a new lease for more than two years, with the team seeking a two-year extension and the stadium preferring one in the five-to-eight-year range. Stadium officials are also attempting to overhaul the distribution of revenue from concessions.
Neither the A’s nor the Giants have commented on a potential move, according to KGO-TV.
