The Oakland Athletics will play in Sacramento following the 2024 MLB season as their Las Vegas ballpark is built.
The A’s will play at Triple-A ballpark Sutter Health Park for the 2025-27 MLB seasons, with an option for one more year in 2028, should there be any delays in the Las Vegas ballpark construction process, the A’s announced Thursday. The team will not feature a city designation during the interim years. They will simply go by the Athletics or A’s.
“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,” A’s owner John Fisher said in a statement. “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.
“We extend our appreciation to the Kings and the City of West Sacramento, and look forward to making Sutter Health Park our home until our new ballpark opens in Las Vegas.”
The A’s and Oakland officials met this week to try and hammer out a deal for the team to remain at the Coliseum, but the two sides were too far apart on a lease extension. The city offered a five-year deal, at $97 million, while the A’s countered with a two-year extension worth $17 million. The A’s then met with Sacramento officials Wednesday, leading to the deal.
A’s President Dave Kaval told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last month that the team plans to continue playing a series of spring training games in Las Vegas in the years leading up to their arrival, with the potential for a series or two of regular season games at Las Vegas Ballpark.
The Tropicana shut down Tuesday, with tentative plans to demolish the property in October and for construction on the A’s $1.5 billion Las Vegas ballpark to begin in April 2025. The A’s hope to have the 33,000 capacity stadium ready in time for the 2028 MLB season, but an extra year option with their Sacramento lease allows flexibility for the team.
A’s games at the Coliseum have seen the league’s worst attendance rates over the last few season amid Las Vegas relocation talk, with the team averaging 6,438 fans per game this season.
Sutter Health Park is located in West Sacramento near the State Capitol and is across from the Tower Bridge from Golden 1 Center, where the Sacramento Kings play their NBA home games. The A’s and the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, will share the 14,611 capacity stadium, with each team having their own dedicated space at the facility. The River Cats are owned by Kings owner Vivek Randadive.
The ballpark recently went through a multi-million dollar renovation, but other modifications will be made to the stadium to bring it up to MLB standards, with plans to upgrade LED lighting and adding an additional clubhouse.
“On behalf of all of MLB, I want to express my appreciation to West Sacramento, Sutter Health Park, the Kings and the greater Sacramento region for their excitement to host the A’s for interim play, as the A’s new permanent home is built in Las Vegas,” Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
A’s games will continue to be broadcast on NBC Sports California in the same areas they are available now, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento.
Contact Mick Akers at [email protected] or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
