FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the A’s offered Marco Scutaro a better deal than the Red Sox did before the veteran opted to sign with Boston.
Scutaro was guaranteed $12.5 million as part a two-year deal with a mutual option for 2012 with the Red Sox. The A’s guaranteed the full three years, but Scutaro preferred the chance to win a World Series with the Red Sox.
The news came as something of a surprise, given Billy Beane’s statements last month that suggested the A’s would largely remove themselves from the free agent market. Scutaro could have played either third or shortstop for the A’s, depending on how Eric Chavez looked in spring training. The A’s have expressed confidence in Cliff Pennington’s ability to start at short, but it’s still possible that he’ll end up as a long-term utilityman for the club.
Scutaro is, of course, familiar with Oakland. The club gave him his big break in 2004, and he hit .262/.321/.387 in four seasons with the A’s. With his salary on the rise, he was traded to Toronto for pitching prospect Graham Godfrey and Kristian Bell two years ago.
With Scutaro out of the picture, one wonders if the A’s will now look to bring back another one of their former infielders. Miguel Tejada remains a free agent, and unlike Scutaro, he wouldn’t cost the team a draft pick.
New bill to build Athletics stadium on Las Vegas Strip caps Nevada’s cost at $380 million
D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.
The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.
The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.
The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”
Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.
The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.
The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.
Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.
“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.