The Athletics, on their way out of Oakland, will spend next season in West Sacramento, Calif., Major League Baseball confirmed on Thursday.
After agent Scott Boras gave multiple media interviews questioning whether Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, was suitable to host major league games, the MLB office issued a statement.
“It is a certainty that the A’s will play their 2025 season in Sacramento as planned,” the statement read. “MLB is continuing to work productively with the (MLB Players Association) on the details of the transition.”
There was no mention of years beyond 2025, though the Athletics had announced their intention to play three seasons in Sacramento. Their agreement includes an option for 2028, though that is the year the team’s planned $1.5 billion stadium in Las Vegas is scheduled to open.
Sutter Health Park, which seats around 14,000, is due to undergo improvements ahead of the Athletics’ arrival, including the installation of artificial turf. The park is expected to be shared next year between the A’s and the River Cats, the San Francisco Giants’ top affiliate.
Boras told the San Francisco Chronicle, “Being raised in Elk Grove, (Calif.), 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. In the major league stadiums where there is Astroturf, there’s a dome so that the turf doesn’t absorb the heat.
“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.
“And what amendments have been made to allow for indoor pregame work? These are player concerns that have to be addressed. Protection of the players’ health and safety is imperative and from a business perspective — we are dealing with elite athletes.”
According to multiple media reports, the MLBPA does not have the right to veto a franchise’s relocation.
The Athletic reported that the A’s and the MLBPA declined comment regarding Boras’ remarks.
–Field Level Media
