Before Moving To Las Vegas For 2028 MLB Season, A’s Will Play In Sacramento At Minor League Stadium For 2025-2027 Seasons
By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
Before the Oakland Athletics move to Las Vegas and a new MLB stadium on the Strip for the targeted 2028 MLB season, the A’s will play at a Triple-A minor league baseball park in Sacramento for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 seasons with an option for a fourth season.
The Athletics were unable to extend their lease at the Coliseum in Oakland past the 2024 season, so the team said Thursday it will play its home games at Sutter Health Park, home field of the Sacramento RiverCats.
John Fisher made a rare public appearance to announce the A's temporary move to Sacramento, then left without taking questions.
🎥@NBCSAthletics pic.twitter.com/u0dvtjOrwW
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 4, 2024
The RiverCats are owned by Vivek Ranadive, who also owns the NBA Sacramento Kings. The RiverCats are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
Here's some of my back and forth with Vivek Ranadive after the presser. pic.twitter.com/e8ahUpcDlI
— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattABC7) April 4, 2024
Ranadive’s statement via press release: “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.”
What’s happening in Sacramento is more than the fans losing their team. People will lose their jobs. That’s the heaviest aspect of all of this for me. pic.twitter.com/u9RMB42PcY
— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattABC7) April 4, 2024
Sutter Health Park said A’s season ticket members will get first priority to seats, while other fans can secure priority access to buy seats for A’s games by joining “The A’s List” and placing $100 per seat deposits for a season ticket deal.
Starting in 2025, the team will be known as just the “A’s” and “Athletics,” not the Sacramento A’s and Sacramento Athletics.
But a look at the Trademark Search showed some active cases that include “Sacramento Athletics.”
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The A’s move to play temporarily in Sacramento was not a big surprise because the MLB team and the city of Oakland were not close to reaching a deal for a three-year lease at the Coliseum and A’s owner John Fisher and Ranadive are friends. The city of Oakland wanted $97 million for the A’s to lease the ballpark, and the Athletics’ counter was not even close.
The Athletics released this statement and attributed it to Fisher: “We explored several locations for a temporary home, including the Oakland Coliseum. Even with the long-standing relationship and good intentions on all sides in the negotiations with Oakland, the conditions to achieve an agreement seemed out of reach. We understand the disappointment this news brings to our fans, as this season marks our final one in Oakland. Throughout this season, we will honor and celebrate our time in Oakland, and will share additional details soon.”
Capacity at the stadium next to downtown Sacramento is 14,000. The A’s plan 33,000 capacity at their new stadium planned for the Tropicana hotel-casino site at the southeast corner of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. Bally’s Corp., which owns the Tropicana hotel, closed the 1957 circa facility only two days ago. The hotel opened exactly 67 years ago today.
Sutter Health Park is located in West Sacramento’s Bridge District near the State Capitol.
The A’s receive about $67 million annually in TV money for regional NBC Sports Bay coverage, so it remains to be seen if that TV broadcast rights deal is renegotiated for much less money with the A’s temporarily playing in Sacramento for 2025-27.
The A’s say they will build their $1.5 billion domed stadium in Las Vegas on nine acres of the 35 acres owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI) at Tropicana Ave. and Las Vegas Blvd. Demolition of the Tropicana facilities will start in the fall, with a stadium groundbreaking in the first half of 2025.
The A’s have the lowest payroll in the majors at about $62 million and have drawn 45,068 fans during their first seven home games, averaging an MLB low of 6,438 a game. The Athletics have won one game of their first seven.
