WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — The Oakland Athletics are moving to within walking distance of the California State Capitol, a temporary relocation as the Major League Baseball team waits for the construction of its new home in Las Vegas.
Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento will serve as the A’s home starting with the 2025 season. The team will stay until opening day in 2028, when the new stadium — on the site of the former Tropicana Las Vegas casino and resort — is slated to open.
Sutter Health Park has a 14,000-person capacity. The new park in Las Vegas is expected to cost $1.5 billion, with 33,000 seats.
The team made the announcement Thursday. Sacramento-area officials quickly praised the move.
“West Sacramento is proud to welcome the A’s to our community,” West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said in a statement. “Sutter Health Park, the Sacramento Kings and the Sacramento River Cats have been tremendous partners for our city and region, and we recognize this unique opportunity will bring significant economic benefits.”
Sutter Health Park is also the home of the Sacramento River Cats, a minor league baseball team, which will continue playing at the park. The park is under a mile from the Golden 1 Center, the home of the Sacramento Kings — a NBA team. The State Capitol, on Capitol Mall, is about a mile from Sutter Health Park across the Tower Bridge — an easily recognized symbol to locals of Sacramento.
“One of Sacramento’s largest visitor bases is from the Bay Area, so we’re excited to be able to offer the fans a nearby location to come and cheer on their team,” said Kari Miskit, chief operating officer with Visit Sacramento, in a statement to Courthouse News. “And while they’re here, these fans will be eating in our local restaurants, supporting our stores and retailers and often staying in our hotels. So this move is a big win for the tourism economy and the community overall.”
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg praised the announcement as a way to "give Sacramento a historic opportunity to once again showcase why we are one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic cities in the country.”
And MLB commissioner Rob Manfred issued his own statement thanking the city of West Sacramento, Sutter Health Park, the Kings and the Sacramento area for their excitement about the A’s move.
The move to Las Vegas isn’t the first time the A’s have changed homes.
The team got its start over 100 years ago in Philadelphia. Beginning in 1901, it moved to Kansas City in 1955 and then Oakland, California, in 1968.
The A’s stadium has deteriorated over time and the team was negotiating for a new one. They wanted a waterfront stadium in Oakland, but they simultaneously were working with Las Vegas on a potential ballpark there.
Sacramento officials see the move as a boost to the economy and to baseball.
“Sacramento’s baseball roots run deep,” said Greater Sacramento Economic Council president and CEO Barry Broome. “Welcoming the A’s will not only bring a surge of economic prosperity, including job creation and increased tourism, but also highlight the innovation and dynamism of Greater Sacramento, home to one of the most energetic fan bases in the country."
Ticket pricing for A’s games at Sutter Health Park aren’t yet finalized, though current A’s season ticket holders will have priority purchase access. More information is expected this summer.
"We look forward to making Sutter Health Park our home through our move to Las Vegas," A's owner and managing partner John Fisher said in a statement. "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.”
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