Oakland A's leaving for Sacramento after this season
OAKLAND, Calif. - 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.
Sacramento sportscaster Dave Weiglein, also known as "Carmichael Dave," on Sactown Sports first reported that the A's new interim home is Sutter Health Park.
The ballpark is where the San Francisco Giants minor league team, the River Cats, currently play.
The Athletics confirmed the news on Thursday morning in a statement: "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."
The A's and the River Cats will share Sutter Health Park for the next three seasons until the A's stadium on the Tropicana hotel site in Las Vegas is finished.
'Rooted in Oakland Since '68' sign taken down at Coliseum
Workers have taken down the big sign at the entrance of the Coliseum that read: "Rooted in Oakland since '68."
The temporary relocation follows discussions between the A's and Oakland officials regarding a lease extension at the Coliseum. The city presented the team with a five-year contract requiring the A's to pay $97 million to remain at the stadium, with the option to opt out after three years to transition to their Las Vegas ballpark.
Regardless of when they departed Oakland, the A's would have been obligated to pay the full $97 million.
On Thursday, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao extended well-wishes to the A's regarding their new move, while emphasizing that the city had offered the team a fair and "fiscally responsible" deal.
Thao said that discussions between the two sides would continue regarding the facilitation of the team's sale of their stake in the Coliseum site.
The Tropicana hotel site where the A's will play, shut its doors for good on Tuesday. Plans for the new ballpark are still up in the air, however the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that construction could start as early as April of next year.
In the meantime, Sutter Health Park, where the Athletics will play temporarily, holds 14,000 fans, significantly smaller than the 63,000 seats the Coliseum holds. Though, the team's average attendance last season was just over 10,000.