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The Oakland A's are moving forward with their long-term relocation to Las Vegas when its lease with the Oakland Coliseum ends after the 2024 season. The franchise will move to the Sutter Health Ballpark in Sacramento next year, also home to the Sacramento Wild Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
The San Francisco Chronicle published an article from its senior baseball writer Susan Slusser on Friday, which discussed the renovations taking place at Sutter Health Ballpark to prepare it for a major league team. The news has generated a stir on social media among fans, players, and agents alike, as they have already expressed concerns regarding the decision to relocate the team.
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MLB expects the A's to spend about three years in Sacramento, while the Sutter Health Ballpark will continue to support its minor league team. Many renovations are taking place at the stadium, both indoors and outdoors, to make it ready for the task. Therefore, the Wild Cats, the Giants' Triple-A team, will have to make adjustments at their home for the MLB team.
“I can only imagine that they’re going to be playing second fiddle for three years, and they’re going to have to be reactive to things like this, which sucks,” said Giants reliever Sean Hjelle. “But that’s the pecking order — everything River Cats will be thrown out. They’ll have to adjust and react at every single turn.”
Meanwhile, fans voiced their concerns in reaction to the article from Susan Slusser on the renovations at Sutter Health Ballpark to prepare it for the Oakland A's.
“It just blows my mind how half-assed this whole process has been,” posted one fan.
"The A's fans deserve so much better than the owner," wrote another fan.
"What free agency player would choose to play at a AAA stadium for a year?" wondered another fan.
The plan to eventually move the A's to Las Vegas is the first time that MLB has sanctioned a relocation since 1971 when the Washington Senators moved down south to become the Texas Rangers.
"Major League Baseball has absolutely no shame," a fan said.
"A World Series game at a AAA stadium would be kinda funny," wrote another fan.
"This will be a totally avoidable unmitigated disaster for the MLB," thinks one fan.
The fans would need plenty of time before they come to terms with the A's moving out of Oakland.
Big change for the A's in Sacramento
The A's players will have to deal with some big changes in the playing environment when the team starts the 2025 season in Sacramento. The heat will undoubtedly be the biggest factor, as the temperature is much higher there. Meanwhile, the playing field will also be an artificial turf.
“Being raised in Elk Grove, the summer heat there in the Sacramento area is extraordinary, and if they put artificial turf there, that’s going to magnify the impact of the heat,” sports agent Scott Boras said.
“In the major-league stadiums where there is Astroturf, there’s a dome so that the turf doesn’t absorb the heat," he added. "Those of us who played on Astroturf when it’s outdoors, like I did in the minor leagues, you understand it just releases heat, and you get up into 120-130 degrees in your shoes because you’re absorbing that heat."
Relocating the A's franchise to Las Vegas seems to be a giant leap into the unknown and the Oakland players will certainly have a challenging experience when they play at Sacramento.
