Fact Check: Why did Rob Manfred meet with the Mayor of Oakland? Details of secret interaction revealed

The saga around the potential relocation of the Oakland Athletics took another turn as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred met with Oakland Mayor Sheng Tao regarding the team remaining in the city. According to Tao, the main goal of the meeting was to clarify several misconceptions surrounding the support of the city and its commitment to keeping the team in the Bay Area.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred appears set on bringing an MLB franchise to Las Vegas, however, Mayor Tao wanted to present facts and documents about Oakland's desire to keep the team in the city.

"MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has previously said that Oakland didn't have "an offer" for the A's. This week, Oakland Mayor Sheng Tao laid hundreds of pages of plans in front of the MLB relocation committee." - @FOS

In recent weeks, the news of a potential Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas has been the talk of the MLB. One of the reasons for the idea of relocating the team to Nevada was said to have been that the city of Oakland was seemingly uncooperative to the club's requests for funding and a new stadium.

This was shut down by Mayor Sheng Tao, who told Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle that the city has pages showing a financial commitment to the Oakland Athletics, which actually surpassed their demands.

"The A's requested a financing district infrastructure of $495 million. We actually offered a larger financing district of $500 million, so went through that. Another thing we talked about was offering more money for offsite infrastructure. The request was for $360 million. The city of Oakland actually secured $425 million and counting."

Mayor Tao flew to Seattle, Washington during the 2023 All-Star Weekend to have the private discussion with Rob Manfred, and while she was unable to share many of the finer details she is hopeful. "I hope we all win. Keep the Oakland A's rooted here," Tao shared with Ostler.

While Mayor Sheng Tao is hopeful, Rob Manfred appears set on bringing the MLB to Las Vegas

The MLB has had its eye on bringing a team to Las Vegas for years, however, it appears closer than ever given the rumors surrounding the Oakland A's. Manfred has claimed that there was no viable stadium proposal or fan support to keep the team in Oakland, which was something Tao set out to clarify during their meeting.

"Before undertaking this very consequential vote, I wanted the commissioner and the MLB owners on the relocation committee, and all the owners, to have the true facts, so they can make an informed decision. I continue to fight until the shovel is actually in the dirt."