A’s new GM thinks Las Vegas, new $2.1 billion ballpark to be ‘talk of the town’ in MLB

The Athletics’ new, youthful front office hires expect the Las Vegas Valley and the team’s under-construction $2.1 billion Strip ballpark to be key drivers of the franchise’s success moving forward.

Cam Castro, 36, was hired by the A’s on Wednesday as general manager, fresh off helping the Milwaukee Brewers win a World Series championship. He said the new stadium, which will feature state-of-the-art training and recovery spaces on its lower level, was a major factor in his decision to accept the job.

“A ton,” Castro said Thursday during his introductory news conference. “Looking at it (the ballpark model) behind us here, it looks insane. It looks awesome. So I think it’s going to create a ton of buzz and excitement, not only for the community here and for the industry and the league, but for the players who get to walk into work there every day.

“The staff that gets to walk into work there every day. … There’s likely to be an incredible energy about the entire building that’s going to be awesome to be a part of.”

Castro will report to A’s president of baseball operations Taylor Smith, who was hired by the club in October. Smith, 31, is also excited about the prospect of Southern Nevada and the new ballpark serving as major attractions for free agents.

“I think it’d be a really exciting move, really awesome opportunity to energize a new fan base,” Smith said in October. “I do think it will become a very compelling destination for players. I think it’ll be a really strong selling point, the ability to live here year-round. The golf scene. I think there are a lot of things that make it a very attractive spot.”

Southern Nevada’s desert climate was also a major draw for Castro, especially compared with what awaits him in Milwaukee in the coming weeks.

“It’s November, so it’s going to be snowing at my house in Milwaukee soon, so that helped a lot,” Castro said. “I’ve been here before. I would say the last couple of trips involved more residential sightseeing and some other things, which have been amazing.

“Being with Milwaukee, and similar to the A’s, having a spring training complex in Phoenix, I’ve spent a lot of time in the desert. … I think it’s a place where my family is going to be really comfortable and really happy, hopefully for a long time.”

Before signing with the A’s, Castro said there was plenty of buzz around Major League Baseball about what the franchise is building in Las Vegas ahead of the 2028 season.

“This will be the talk of the town, I think, for a while,” Castro said. “I’m still getting up to speed on the community and the people here, but it’s been an amazing first 16 hours. Looking forward to stretching that to a full couple of days.”

Smith also heard chatter around the league before leaving the Boston Red Sox to join the A’s.

“I think you see what the stadium designs look like; you have an understanding of how the market might change some of the economics for the franchise,” Smith said. “It’s just a really exciting move in a lot of ways for the organization.”

Smith and Castro have already gotten to work and will ramp up their efforts next week when Major League Baseball’s annual general managers meetings are held in Las Vegas, a place where the two became better acquainted last year.

“I have always known of Taylor and have had the chance to meet him and spend some time with him, I think last year at the GM meetings, which are coming up here soon,” Castro said. “So yeah, between reputation and experience, and then continued conversation once we got the chance to go through this process, it just became a no-brainer.”

Contact Mick Akers at [email protected] or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.