The 2024 season – the 57th that the Athletics play in Oakland – will be the last.
The A’s announced Thursday they will move to a minor league stadium in Sacramento for 2025-27, with the possibility of staying an additional year. Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, will become a major league stadium for at least three seasons. The A’s will share the 14,000 capacity park with the River Cats who will continue to play in the stadium when the A’s are away.
The A’s hope to move to Las Vegas in time for the 2028 season, but the inclusion of a fourth-year option to stay in Sacramento indicates the club has planned for the possibility that its move to Vegas could be delayed.
“We look forward to making Sutter Health Park our home with our move to Las Vegas,” A’s owner John Fisher said in the release. “We express our gratitude 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.”
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The Sacramento Kings are the majority owners of the River Cats.
When asked if the team would change its name to the Sacramento A’s, a spokesperson said the club would be called the Athletics and A’s for the interim period.
The A’s have not revealed how the move to Sacramento affects their TV rights fees. Before Thursday, people briefed on negotiations between the club and NBC Sports California expected that if the team moved to Sacramento, the A’s would be able to keep a significant amount of the estimated $70 million they are owed.
The A’s were in negotiations with Sacramento and Oakland for interim housing for 2025-27. The team’s lease at its current home, the Oakland Coliseum, expires after this season.
“Oakland delivered a deal that was fair for the A’s and fiscally responsible for our city,” Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement. “We wish the A’s the best and will continue our conversations with them to facilitate the sale of their share of the Coliseum site.” The City of Oakland will now focus on moving forward with the Coliseum redevelopment efforts.
According to a person briefed on the negotiations, Oakland’s final offer to the team to stay in the city for 2025-27 included a $60 million lease extension fee that the A’s would pay, down from 97 million dollars previously proposed by the city. The A’s also asked MLB to offer the city an exclusive one-year window to find an owner for an expansion team.
“On behalf of all of MLB, I want to express my gratitude to West Sacramento, Sutter Health Park, the Kings and the greater Sacramento area for their enthusiasm to host the A’s for interim play, so that the A’s new permanent home is being built in Las. Vegas,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
It is unclear what improvements or modifications are needed to ensure Sutter Health Park meets the standards required by the sport’s collective bargaining agreement.
“The MLBPA has had preliminary discussions with MLB on a range of issues related to temporary relocation and we hope those discussions will continue,” the players’ association said in a statement.
Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento will be home to the A’s for the 2025-27 seasons – before the team moves to Vegas in 2028. pic.twitter.com/KryyjzpLMl
– Oakland A (@Athletics) April 4, 2024
“Sutter Health Park recently underwent a multi-million dollar facility renovation. We will ensure the stadium continues to be modified to meet MLB standards, including upgrading LED lighting and adding an additional clubhouse, among other things,” the A’s said in a statement.
“I am thrilled to welcome the A’s to Sutter Health Park, where players and fans can enjoy a world-class baseball experience and create unforgettable memories,” Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé said in a statement. communicated. “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 vibrant and vibrant markets in the country.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said Thursday the announcement was “a moment of conflicting emotions” and while he believed Oakland deserved an MLB team, he was “over the moon for my city, our region and our state,” that Sacramento would be A’s temporary home.
“Success breeds more success. Ten years ago, when we united to save the Kings, many of us said yes because we believed it would bring incalculable benefits to Sacramento’s future. Not only did we retain our NBA team, but now (at least temporarily) we are a Major League Baseball city. There will still be good days to come. It’s definitely the stuff of dreams,” Steinberg said.
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(Photo: Matt Kartozian / USA Today)