Sept. 13—Major League Baseball confirmed Thursday that the Athletics will leave Oakland and spend next season in West Sacramento, Calif.
The MLB office released a statement after agent Scott Boras spoke to multiple media outlets about the suitability of Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, to host major league games.
“There is no doubt that the Athletics will play the 2025 season in Sacramento as planned,” the statement said.
Although the Athletics have announced their intention to play three seasons in Sacramento, there has been no mention of what will happen after 2025. Their agreement includes an option for 2028, though the team’s $1.5 billion stadium in Las Vegas is scheduled to open that year.
Sutter Health Park, which seats about 14,000, will undergo improvements including the installation of artificial turf before the track and field team arrives. The park is expected to be shared by the Athletics and the River Cats, the top affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, next year.
Boras told the San Francisco Chronicle, “I grew up in Elk Grove, California, and the Sacramento area has extreme heat, and if they put artificial turf there, it would increase the effect of the heat. There are Astros Major League stadiums with turf there. They would put a dome so the turf doesn’t absorb the heat.
“For those of us that play outside with Astroturf, like I did in the minor leagues, you know it just heats up and your shoes are going to be 120-130 degrees because you’re absorbing the heat.
“What modifications have been made to allow indoor pre-match work? These are issues that the players will have to address. It is imperative to protect the health and safety of the players, and from a commercial perspective – we are working with specific athletes.”
According to multiple media reports, Major League Baseball has no power to veto a team’s relocation.
The Athletic and MLB declined to comment on Boras’ remarks, according to The Athletic.
–Visual-level media
