Chron’s Patrick Hoge reports:

The owners of the Oakland A’s announced today that they have signed a contract to buy 168 acres for a proposed ballpark development in Fremont.

Lew Wolff, the team’s managing partner, said the deal will allow him quickly to submit an application to the city for a roughly 32,000-seat stadium, surrounded by housing and high-end commercial development.

Really? It sounds different from what the Argus’s Chris De Benedetti reported earlier today:

There is no new information regarding the land transaction, a Cisco spokeswoman said. ProLogis spokesman Arthur Hodges declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Wolff has been meeting with Fremont staff members as often as twice a month since December to discuss the project. The A’s are scheduled to meet again with city staff members May 17, Fremont officials said.

As to when the A’s might submit a development application or a formal plan, that step is “probably a few months away,” Wolff said.

Alrighty then. Here’s the obligatory map if you want to familiarize yourself. The A’s are buying the yellow section.

This is a pretty big move. Not “done deal” definitive, but rather “planting their stake in the ground” serious. That stake has to be worth around $200 million. Correction: According to the press release and Barry Witt’s report, the A’s have amassed 226 acres. Land value is around $500 million.