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Oakland A's reach agreement to develop Tropicana site for 30,000-seat Las Vegas stadium

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 21:  An aerial view shows the Las Vegas Strip including MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (front) and the Tropicana Las Vegas (C), all of which have been closed since March 17 in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on May 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is still unclear when casinos in the state will be allowed to reopen.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Tropicana hotel is seen in the center of this aerial shot of the Las Vegas Strip. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Oakland Athletics are in agreement to develop the club's new Las Vegas stadium, barring another change of plans.

The agreement to build a stadium at the Tropicana hotel site on the Las Vegas Strip was announced Monday by Bally's Corp. in conjunction with Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc.

GLP, a real estate investment trust company, will help with funding the development of the 35-acre site. Still, the potential 30,000-seat stadium is expected to be a $1.5 billion project. The A’s are asking for nearly $400 million in public support from the Nevada Legislature, which could vote on a proposal this week.

This deal comes after the A's signed and backed out of an agreement to build a stadium on Tropicana Avenue. The location of the new, abridged site is closer to hotels on the south end of the Strip and surrounded by more popular hotels such as the MGM Grand, New York-New York and Mandalay Bay.

The previous 49-acre site was on the other side of Interstate 15, which runs alongside the Strip, and would've been part of a much larger proposal. It likely would've meant the A's asking for $100 million more in public funds than they are now.

“We are excited about the potential to bring Major League Baseball to this iconic location,” A’s president Dave Kaval said in a statement. “We are thrilled to work alongside Bally’s and GLPI and look forward to finalizing plans to bring the Athletics to Southern Nevada.”

Kaval previously said he hopes to begin construction on a new ballpark next year in preparation to play in a new stadium by the 2027 season. The club's lease at Oakland Coliseum goes through 2024. In the meantime, the A's could play their 2025 and ’26 campaigns at Las Vegas Ballpark, home to their Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators.