Oakland Athletics to Temporarily Play in Sacramento Before Moving to Las Vegas

The Oakland Athletics have made a major announcement that will shake up the baseball world. The team will be leaving Oakland after this season and will be playing temporarily at a minor league park near Sacramento until their planned new stadium in Las Vegas is built.

The decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 was announced today after the A’s were unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé, who also owns the River Cats, expressed his excitement about the potential for the region to become a “mecca for sports.”

The move was met with mixed reactions, as Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao expressed disappointment in the decision, while West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero welcomed the opportunity to put the city “on the map” and bring in new business for local establishments.

The A’s will be playing at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the next three seasons, a stadium with 10,624 fixed seats that can currently hold 14,014 fans with lawn seating and standing room. The move is seen as a step toward the Sacramento region eventually hosting a permanent MLB team.

While the news may be heart-breaking for Oakland fans, the team’s decision to stay in Northern California will allow them to keep a large share of their local television rights. The team will be known simply as the Athletics, or A’s, without a city designation during their stay in Sacramento.

With the A’s departure, the Coliseum complex that once housed multiple major sports teams will be left without any major sports teams. However, the move opens up new opportunities for Sacramento and sets the stage for an exciting new chapter in professional sports in the region.