The A’s deferred a $1.2 million rental payment due to the Oakland Coliseum in April.
They told NBC Sports California last month that the stadium authority “has been unable to make the Coliseum available for use by the A's" due to the coronavirus. Dave Kaval, the team's president, told The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser on Thursday that the reasoning behind the deferment was due to lack of use.
“Being able to use the facility is obviously very critical,” Kaval said. “We’ve been adhering to the provisions of the lease, which specifically state the payment is due when you can actually use it. ... Hopefully, we can get in there and start training; some other teams already have been doing that and we haven’t been able to.”
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Kaval also told The Chronicle there is a chance for a rent reduction if there's a shortened season, as the current agreement is on a per-game basis.
“You pay the full amount and then there is adjustment based on how many games you play,” he said.
[RELATED: A's might have delay in 2023 targeted ballpark opening]
For now, there is no final decision on a 2020 season. After roughly four weeks of negotiations between MLB and the Players Association, the union called for a 114-game season that would begin on June 30 and end Oct. 31. While there are more details to the recent proposal including the health and safety of the players, time is ticking for that date.
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If there's a season, there's a chance it would happen without fans. Kaval is not only prepared for the possibility, but he's fully embracing it. He’s ensuring the Coliseum is adhering to safety precautions and county guidelines.
“I think they were impressed with the scope and how it was put together," Kaval said of Alameda County officials." ... We’re going to make sure we’re going to adhere to (county) guidelines because they’re the authority on business operating in this environment.”