The Oakland Athletics have announced plans to play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the 2025 through 2027 Major League Baseball seasons, meaning the one that just started last week will be the team’s last at the Oakland Coliseum.
The A’s still plan on building a new ballpark in Las Vegas and playing there starting in 2028, but where they would play after 2024 was up in the air.
Sutter Health Park is currently home to the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The Sacramento Kings National Basketball Association team is the majority owner of the River Cats and jointly made Thursday’s announcement with the A’s.
The River Cats will share the West Sacramento ballpark with the A’s, who have an option for a fourth year there in the event of delays in the funding and construction of the new Las Vegas stadium.
A’s owner John Fisher said 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.”
Fisher added, “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.”
‘A sad day’
A’s fans have been vocal in their disapproval of Fisher, including at a protest outside of the Coliseum for the team’s opening game of the season last week, and U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, was among those who expressed disappointment Thursday about the team’s announcement.
“This is a sad day for Oakland and for generations of A’s fans. The A’s have been one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball and have brought immense pride to the city of Oakland. Billionaire greed got us to this point — I hope the MLB continues to work with Oakland to keep a major league team in the East Bay and hold onto the A’s brand,” Lee said.
Before announcing their planned move to Las Vegas, the team had previously sought to build a new ballpark at various sites in Oakland, most recently at Howard Terminal near Jack London Square. The city also had negotiated with the team in recent weeks about extending its lease at the Coliseum while the Las Vegas stadium was still pending.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement, “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.”
The A’s finished 50-112 last season, the worst win-loss record of all 30 MLB teams, and are 1-6 to start this season.