MLB All-Stars Think Relocating The Oakland Athletics To Las Vegas Is A "Terrible Idea"

Major League Baseball is in a good spot. The present looks bright, and the future looks even brighter. The success of the 2024 MLB All-Star Game showcased that, from a Shohei Ohtani long ball, to Mason Miller hitting 103.6 m.p.h. on the radar gun. And while the game is filled with young, talented players making the game more popular, not everything from the All-Star festivities was filled with sunshine and butterflies.

Bill Shaikin is a longtime writer for the Los Angeles Times, and he spent his time wisely in Arlington, Texas. While everyone else was marveling at how awful the pre-Home Run Derby National Anthem was, Bill Shaikin was doing some homework. With the clock ticking on the Oakland Athletics calling Oakland home, the world wants to know what MLB players think of the team's relocation plans.

The current plan is for the A's to relocate to Sacramento, California after this season for three or four years before permanently relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevada officials have already authorized $380 million in public funding for the new stadium to be built in Las Vegas. While these officials may love the idea, there's a handful of MLB All-Stars, with ties to Las Vegas who don't feel the same way:

“I think it’s a terrible idea,” Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald said. “The whole thing, I fear, is going to be an abject disaster.”

Bryce Harper, who was born and raised in Las Vegas, isn't thrilled about the idea either:

“It’s a tough thing to see the A’s go away from Oakland. They have so much tradition and history there: the green, the yellow, the white cleats, Eric Chavez and all those guys that played there, Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, the teams they had. I see it in Oakland. I don’t see it in Vegas.”

No matter how a select few MLB players feel about this relocation, it feel likes an inevitability. Once the money has been authorized, generally the only thing that can derail this type of plan...is more money.