The 2024 season is officially the Athletics’ last year in Oakland. The club announced Thursday morning that it’ll spend the 2025-27 seasons playing its home games in Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park ahead of its planned 2028 move to Las Vegas.
There’s an option on the agreement for the A’s to spend a fourth year in Sacramento, presumably if the construction of their new Las Vegas stadium is not completed on time.
Sutter Health Park is home to the Sacramento River Cats — the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. It seems the two teams will share the stadium for at least the next three seasons — or at least that such an arrangement is under consideration.
The press release announcing the Sacramento decision states: “Not only will fans be able to experience Major League Baseball in West Sacramento, but they will also still get to enjoy the beloved tradition of Minor League Baseball and the Sacramento River Cats.”
However, that’s not necessarily set in stone. John Shea, Susan Slusser and Steve Kroner of the San Francisco Chronicle report that the A’s and River Cats sharing Sutter Health Park is “one option.”
The Chronicle trio further reports that there’s also been some consideration that the River Cats could play home games across multiple sites, including the Coliseum and the Giants’ Oracle Park.
The NBA’s Sacramento Kings are the majority owner of the River Cats. Team president Vivek Ranadive issued the following statement:
“I’m thrilled to welcome the A’s to Sutter Health Park, where players and fans alike can enjoy a world-class baseball experience and create other unforgettable memories. Today marks the next chapter of professional sports in Sacramento. The passion of our fans is second to none, and this is an incredible opportunity to showcase one of the most dynamic and vibrant markets in the country.”
Said A’s owner John Fisher:
“We look forward to making Sutter Health Park our home through our move to Las Vegas. We extend our appreciation to the Kings and the City of West Sacramento for hosting the A’s while we work to complete our new ballpark in Las Vegas.”
There are, as one would expect, some logistical hurdles that need to be cleared. Sutter Health Park’s capacity is just over 14,000; it’s well smaller than the size of a standard big-league stadium.
While that invites plenty of jokes about the Athletics’ attendance, concerns regarding the size of the stadium extend beyond its sheer seating capacity.
A’s players voiced concerns to the Chronicle about the size of the clubhouse and training room, the standards of the batting cages and the lights at a Triple-A stadium.
Right-hander Paul Blackburn also noted the location of the clubhouses, which are beyond the outfield wall as opposed to the MLB standard of being connected to the dugouts, as another issue.
On top of the facility itself, the A’s will need to sort through television broadcast specifics with NBC Sports California. Shea, Slusser and Kroner report that the A’s made $67M from their television contract last year but will likely revise that deal and receive less revenue now.
However, the move to Sacramento allows the A’s to avoid the City of Oakland’s proposed $97M fee for the extension of the current Coliseum lease. It also allows Fisher to retain a 50 percent stake in the Coliseum property itself.
Suffice it to say that there are ample hurdles yet to be cleared and plenty of unknowns to be determined. As The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard points out, the fact that the A’s are endeavoring to play their home games in West Sacramento — rather than at their own Triple-A stadium in Las Vegas — speaks to the difficulties of arranging this work for all parties involved.
That the A’s are even announcing this despite ostensibly not having a concrete plan outlined for where the River Cats will play only adds to the disjointed and disorganized feeling that has been emblematic of their entire relocation saga.
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