Oakland Athletics to Temporarily Trade Home Turf for Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park

In an unexpected turn of events earlier this week, the Oakland Athletics declared a significant change. Starting in 2025, the storied baseball franchise will temporarily take up residence at the not-so-well-known Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. The Athletics will field their team in this 14,000-seat arena, chiefly owned by the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association, for three subsequent seasons.

The arrangement won’t see them alone, though. The Athletics will cohabit this modest-sized stadium with the Sacramento River Cats, the minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. This unique dynamic is expected to unfold while an all-new, state-of-the-art stadium is erected on the site of the now-defunct Tropicana casino-hotel, on the heart of Las Vegas’s legendary Strip.

TRUSTED PARTNER ✅

In a strategic move, the team will forfeit its geographical moniker “Oakland” during their interim in Sacramento. Intriguingly, however, they won’t adopt their temporary abode’s name either. Instead, per TMZ Sports, our beloved A’s will be known simply as “The Athletics” until they settle down permanently in Las Vegas.

In a public statement, Athletics owner John Fisher conveys excitement and gratitude for this transition. He said, “We look forward to making Sutter Health Park our home through our move to Las Vegas. We extend our appreciation to the Kings and the City of West Sacramento for hosting the A’s while we work to complete our new ballpark in Las Vegas.”

Interestingly, there were whispers about the Giants not enthusiastically sharing their Oracle Park with these regional rivals. As such, they generously offered their minor league ballpark to the Athletics instead.

On the topic of the Athletics’ future home, Bally’s, the Rhode Island gaming company which managed the Tropicana, has stated its ambitious plan repeatedly. They propose a 30,000-seat, $1.5 billion baseball stadium, purposed for the Athletics, to be developed on nine of the 35 acres of the erstwhile Tropicana’s premises.

In line with these prospects, Mortenson-McCarthy, the construction firm secured by the Athletics, informed the Las Vegas Stadium Authority last year about project timelines. The estimated construction kickoff is slated for April 2025, with the official opening timed perfectly for the first pitch of the 2028 season.

Nevertheless, fears about delays or even outright cancellation loom large among informed circles regarding the proposed Las Vegas development. In such an eventuality, the Athletics will have the choice to extend their stay at Sutter Health Park by an additional year.

During the prior November’s high-stakes meeting, Jack Fisher, along with the other Major League Baseball team owners, greenlit the Athletics’ move unanimously. This decision came just in time, considering the expiration of Athletics’ current lease at Oakland Coliseum at the end of this season. Rumor has it that the strained relationship between Fisher and the city of Oakland has ostensibly out-ruled any lease extensions.

And if you are curious, yes, the Las Vegas Ballpark – the 8,000-seat oasis of the Athletics’ Triple-A team, the Las Vegas Aviators – was an option. However, it was promptly declined due to the less-than-ideal prospect of performing under the relentless desert sun of Nevada’s triple-digit summer.