A’s don’t have any Aces up there sleeve

No major league teams will be coming to Greater Nevada Field in the near future, but there are major reasons to be excited about the upcoming season. There have been several rumors in the past months that the Oakland Athletics could play in Reno, while they await a new stadium in Las Vegas. However, the organization has denied these rumors. Vince Ruffino, Vice-President of Marketing and Communications for the Reno Aces, explains that the A’s have not reached out to the organization to potentially play in Reno. The Aces do have the capacity to host an MLB team but it doesn’t seem likely that will happen anytime soon.

On November 16, 2023, the Oakland A’s were unanimously approved by MLB ownership to relocate to Las Vegas. The move was incredibly unpopular in Oakland, as the city had already lost the Raiders to Vegas in 2020, and the Warriors to San Francisco. Despite outrage from the fans and a proposed stadium from the city, the team planned to move by the end of the stadium lease in 2024. However, the new Las Vegas stadium will not be ready until 2028. The A’s do not have a plan for where they’re going to play between 2025–2027. Oracle Park, Las Vegas ballpark, and resigning a new lease are all possible options for A’s home games until their new stadium is complete. Playing at Oracle Park is extremely unpopular, as it is already home to the A’s rival San Francisco Giants. Resigning a lease in Oakland is also extremely unlikely, as the A’s have lost all popularity in Oakland and the games would most likely be boycotted by die-hard fans. The most likely option is to move to Las Vegas Ballpark, which has a capacity of 10,000 and is already home to the A’s triple-A affiliate the Las Vegas Aviators.

The Reno Aces are working on a series of improvements for Greater Nevada Field, to enhance the fan experience and comply with MLB’s professional development requirements. The team will be spending $4 million in total which is 100% privately funded. No attendance expansions will be included in the improvements. Instead, the KidsZone, concession stands, and team shop will be improved along with adding additional suites. Improved batting cages and player facilities will also be included. A major component of these improvements is to make Great Nevada Field more suitable for other events in the future. The Reno 1868 soccer club used to play their home games at the stadium but was disbanded in 2020. The Aces have also hosted the UNR baseball team, and lower level teams for games. The stadium hosts some smaller corporate and private events but there has been a focus to host concerts and other larger community events in the future.

Along with improvements to the stadium the Reno Aces are working to improve the surrounding neighborhood. The organization has worked with the Downtown Reno Partnership, to revitalize the area around them. Their past projects include the Reno Riverwalk and the Freight House District. Currently the Aces are working to build ballpark apartments next to Greater Nevada Field.

Ruffino is optimistic and looking forward to the upcoming season, which starts March 29th against the Las Vegas Aviators. Last season had record high attendance for the team. With a total attendance of 372,926, the highest since 2015, including four sold out games. However, a little over a decade ago the financial future of the team was not nearly as certain. The team was founded in 2009 and had a $55 million loan to build Greater Nevada Field. The team initially struggled with low attendance, as the smallest market with a triple-A team. However, in 2013 the Reno City Council approved a $30 million bailout of the team to pay back the loan. In exchange for the loan, the city received a portion of profits coming from naming rights over $300,000.

Along with their off-field success the Aces had the most wins in their franchise’s history last year with 88. The team has had sustained on-field success over the past few seasons winning the PCL championship in 2012 and 2022 and the triple-A championship in 2012. The Ace’s major league affiliate the Arizona Diamondbacks went to the World Series and former Reno Aces Corbin Carrol won AL Rookie of the Year. Other notable Aces alumni include: Cy Young winner Zach Greinke, and AJ Pollock.