S.F. front-runner for 2028 All-Star Game if MLB players compete in Olympics, source says

San Francisco Chronicle​

2 days ago

ATLANTA — Should Major League Baseball and the Players Association agree to allow players to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, San Francisco might be a major beneficiary.
The momentum appears to be in favor of allowing Olympic participation, coinciding with a longer All-Star break — and in that case, one league source told the Chronicle, the San Francisco Giants' Oracle Park would be the front-runner for the All-Star Game.
The league and union would want an All-Star location on the West Coast in order to get the sport's stars to Los Angeles easily rather than having to go cross-country, and San Diego, Seattle and Arizona all have played host to the event more recently than San Francisco, while Sacramento is a minor-league park and is not a consideration. MLB held the 2007 event in San Francisco at what was then called AT&T Park.
The All-Star Game is a huge money-maker for cities, with Atlanta and its surrounding areas expected to reap $100 million or more during this year's edition.
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The Olympics debate was one of the major issues discussed Tuesday morning when union chief Tony Clark and Commissioner Rob Manfred, separately, spoke to the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
'I think that the idea of playing in L.A. in '28 … there's some merit to it,' said Manfred, who met with L.A. Olympic organizers Monday. 'I think it is an opportunity to market the game on a really global stage. I think because it's in the U.S., the logistics of it are easier.
'We're going to have to have some conversations with Tony, but that process continues forward in a positive way. … Obviously, the clubs are going to have to endorse this.'
Asked whether scheduling participation in the middle of the season is even possible, Manfred said, 'Yes, it's doable.'
Clark said that players are interested, but the details would need to be worked out, especially with the schedule and things such as travel concerns (that's where San Francisco comes into play) and some practical considerations such as insurance, but such matters were worked out for the World Baseball Classic.
'There's just a lot of conversation that needs to be had sooner rather than later to see how viable this is,' Clark said. 'But we're hopeful that we can figure our way through it for the benefit of the game.'
Minor-league parks: Sacramento, the A's temporary home as they await their planned stadium in Las Vegas, continues to be an issue for players, Clark said.
'Having our guys, whether it's in Tampa or whether it's in Sacramento, playing in a minor-league ballpark, is less than ideal,' Clark said. 'One was an act of God. One was a decision. In either instance, they are affecting the game and they are affecting the players. Our hope is that the guys find themselves back in a major-league ballpark as soon as humanly possible.'
The Rays expect to move back into Tropicana Field, which lost its roof in a hurricane last winter, by the start of next season. The A's could play three or four more seasons in Sacramento. Clark emphasized that the union has no say in teams' locations, only working conditions, but the union continues to get negative feedback.
'This one doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon, but there's still a little hope something comes to fruition before 2028,' Clark said.
Manfred has said repeatedly that he expects the A's to remain in Sacramento until the Vegas ballpark opens, and he reiterated that Tuesday.
When asked about the most recent problem at Sutter Health Park — the foul poles aren't high enough, nor is the camera coverage adequate to provide accurate replay reviews on balls hit down the line, Manfred said, 'We are getting continual feedback on Sacramento and are doing our very best to address each of those pieces of feedback in real time. You know, it is not perfect. If I had a brand new, gleaming stadium to move them into, we would have done that. We need to get there, and we will continue to work to make it the best from both a competitive perspective and from the perspective of the players' comfort.'
Expansion: Manfred was unwilling to discuss potential expansion to the Bay Area when at the A's groundbreaking ceremony in Las Vegas last month, but Tuesday he said that the league will look at every possibility when it comes to expansion, with nothing off the table.
During the Las Vegas event, a major-league source told the Chronicle that after A's stadium talks with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's administration went south, Manfred never would consider Oakland again. Tuesday, Manfred said of the city's previous mayor, 'Honestly, I had a great relationship with Libby Schaaf, we worked very hard with her to try to make it work in Oakland. I don't have any problem with any government official in Oakland.'
Of Thao, since indicted and recalled, he said, 'I thought Mayor Thao was not particularly helpful when we got down to brass tacks — but I don't think I'm probably going to have to deal with her going forward.'
San Jose is the largest city in Northern California and the highest-income area in the nation without a major-league team, and the Giants' territorial rights extended only to the A's, so it could be an option.
'I think by being wide open, no predeterminations as to where it's going, we're going to end up with the best locations if and when we expand,' Manfred said.