Sutter Health Park in Sacramento has about 10,000 fixed seats with capacity for about an additional 4,000MLB
The A’s on Thursday “leaned into the concept of playing in an ‘intimate’ minor league ballpark” for at least three years in Sacramento as they await financing and construction of their new ballpark in Las Vegas, according to Jerry McDonald of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. The club has "what amounted to an 'Up with Sacramento' revival Thursday morning at Sutter Health Park, as speakers such as team owner John Fisher were “greeted with applause.” Vivek Ranadive, who owns both the NBA Kings and Triple-A PCL Sacramento River Cats, sees giving the A’s a temporary home as a “potential gateway to getting a major league franchise.” He said, “We have a tremendous opportunity to showcase everything the region has to offer and demonstrate why it is deserving of an MLB team.” Greater Sacramento Economic Council President & CEO Barry Broome “also leaned into ... giving the city a trial run for a future expansion franchise” (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 4/4).
A THREE-YEAR AUDITION: THE ATHLETIC’s Evan Drellich wrote Sacramento has a “rich minor-league baseball history," but it now gets a chance to "demonstrate its worthiness at the next level.” Ranadive said his “longer-term play” is that MLB will introduce “two new franchises, one in the West, one in the East." Ranadive: "We’re really in pole position to get the one in the west. And so this is, for us, a showcase.” Drellich noted during this interim period, the A’s are “not going not going to be called” the Sacramento A’s. They will just be the A’s or Athletics. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the MLBPA have “already met to begin discussions about Sutter Health Park and what upgrades will be needed” to accommodate MLB players and the requirements of the CBA. Some alterations "will definitely follow, but specifics aren’t clear yet.” Neither Ranadive nor A's President Dave Kaval gave specific cost estimates, but both said that “none of the burden will fall to taxpayers.” Kaval said that the ballpark’s capacity “could increase, depending on demand.” Planning walk-throughs at the ballpark are set for next week, and enhancements could “come on a rolling basis over the three years” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/4).
PLENTY OF QUESTIONS REMAIN: In D.C., Chelsea Janes noted it was not immediately clear how Sacramento will “handle being home to both a Class AAA and MLB team at the same time.” Just as unclear is whether the A’s “will be ready to move to Las Vegas” by the 2028 season. MLB last year approved the A’s move to Las Vegas with the 2028 as the intended target. However, there are "still a hotel and casino on the targeted site, renderings of a new stadium are incomplete, and local officials have expressed skepticism about everything from the way the A’s have barreled through the process to their choice of ballpark location" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/4).
