Oakland A's pack their bags for Sacramento after Coliseum negotiations fail
As Opening Day at the Coliseum in Oakland. March 28, 2024.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The owners of both the Oakland Athletics and the Sacramento Kings came together on Thursday morning in West Sacramento for a major announcement.
The A’s are moving to California's capital. At least temporarily.
"A momentous day for our 123-year-old franchise," John Fisher, owner of Major League Baseball's A's said.
The team is now going to a minor-league stadium.
The A’s are moving to Sutter Health Park, the current home of the Sacramento River Cats, with its majority owner, the Sacramento Kings.
"You’re going to see Aaron Judge hitting home runs out there," Kings owner Vivek Ranadive said. "What an incredible day. This is epic. This is historic."
The deal secures a home base for the Athletics for three seasons from 2025 to 2027.
There’s also an option for a fourth season in 2028.
"We’re excited to be here for the next three years playing this beautiful ballpark," Fisher said.
The announcement comes after the City of Oakland’s previous offer for a five-year, $97 million lease extension on the Coliseum was rejected.
The city then offered a final three-year, $60 million lease on Tuesday, according to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s office, which the A’s also turned down.
Thao responded in part on Thursday by writing "Oakland offered a deal that was fair to the A’s and was fiscally responsible for our city. We wish the A’s the best and will continue our conversations with them on facilitating the sale of their share of the Coliseum site. The City of Oakland will now focus on advancing redevelopment efforts at the Coliseum."
Oakland also wanted Major League Baseball to grant exclusive rights to the city for one year to solicit owners and investors for an MLB expansion team.
Fisher sent out a statement which reads in part, "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."
"Let’s play ball in the future here!" West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said to a Sacramento crowd that broke out in applause.
Sutter Health Park, with its 14,000 seats, is significantly smaller than the 63,000 seats at the coliseum, but the most recent average A’s game attendance is only about 10,000.
Only around 6,400 fans showed up to the Coliseum Wednesday night, according to the A’s, when the team took a beating from the Red Sox, one-nothing.
The next home game is April 16, but for now, it's Sacramento that’s catching all the attention.
"Looking forward to this being our home until we move on to Vegas," Fisher said.
The A’s are set to move to The Strip in 2028 on the current site of the Tropicana Las Vegas, which is set for demolition.
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Oakland A's leaving for Sacramento after this season
The Oakland Athletics have finalized a deal to temporarily relocate the team to Sacramento before the planned move to Las Vegas in 2028, saying goodbye to Oakland.