Athletics to make home in Sacramento for ’25-27
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Tim Keown, ESPN Senior Writer
The Athletics will leave Oakland after the 2024 season and play at least three years in a minor league ballpark in West Sacramento, the team and Oakland officials announced early Thursday morning.
The move ends the Athletics’ 56-year tenure in the East Bay, a stretch that included four World Series championships, although the current team appears to be headed for its third consecutive 100-loss season.
The agreement with Sacramento is a three-year lease with a team option for a fourth season in case the team’s planned ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip is not completed in time for the 2028 season. The A’s will share Sutter Health Park, which holds roughly 14,000 fans, with the Sacramento River Cats, the San Francisco Giants‘ Triple-A team. Terms of the lease were not disclosed.
Team president Dave Kaval called Oakland chief of staff Leigh Hanson at 7:36 a.m. to inform her of the team’s decision. Owner John Fisher followed five minutes later with a call to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, and the team announced its move on social media 10 minutes after that.
Within two hours of the announcement, the team held an outdoor news conference in the rain and wind at Sutter Health Park. Fisher spoke for one minute, 45 seconds and left the ballpark quickly afterward, taking no questions.
“I just want to say we’re excited to be here for the next three years,” Fisher said as part of his prepared remarks, “playing in this beautiful ballpark but also to be able to watch some of the greatest players in baseball, whether they be Athletics players or Aaron Judge and others launch home runs out of this very intimate, most intimate ballpark in major league baseball next three years.”
As part of the temporary arrangement with Sacramento, the team will not include a city name in its branding. They will be known simply as “The A’s.” Kaval said he conducted an all-staff Zoom meeting after the announcement, in which he informed team employees that there will be significant layoffs as a result of this decision. He chose not to say what percentage of the workforce would be reduced, saying it has yet to be decided, but said employees will be let go at the conclusion of the season.
The deal in Sacramento was overseen by Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, who also owns the River Cats and is a close friend of Fisher’s. He spoke first at the news conference, calling the announcement “the next chapter of professional sports in Sacramento.” Ranadive purchased the Kings in 2013 when it appeared the team would be sold and moved to Seattle. According to Kaval, the A’s deal in Sacramento includes a partnership with the Kings and River Cats and some employees of those teams will take on responsibilities currently handled by Oakland-based staff.
“The partnership will help us with making sure the games go off successfully,” Kaval said. “They have a lot of track record on that.”
The A’s and the city of Oakland had their final negotiating meeting Tuesday at the team’s offices, where Oakland’s representatives presented a five-year lease offer with a team opt-out after three. In that offer, the team would have been responsible for a $97 million “extension fee” that would have been due in full even if the team chose to opt out. The A’s currently pay $1.25 million per season to rent the Coliseum, and the increased cost to play at the Coliseum was the main sticking point in the negotiations, sources say.
In the hours after that meeting, Oakland officials reached out to the A’s with a revised offer: a previously unreported three-year lease and a $60 million extension fee. That offer was contingent on Major League Baseball agreeing to a one-year exclusive right to solicit ownership for a future expansion team in Oakland. Sources indicate the A’s were receptive to the new offer, but the team met with Sacramento officials less than 24 hours later and quickly agreed to a deal.
“Oakland offered a deal that was fair to the A’s and was fiscally responsible for our city,” Mayor Thao said in a statement. “We wish the A’s the best and will continue our conversations with them on facilitating the sale of their share of the Coliseum site. The City of Oakland will now focus on advancing redevelopment efforts at the Coliseum.”
Speaking after the news conference, Kaval told ESPN, “At the end of the day, we were just very far apart with Oakland. We worked very hard with them, and we were sincere in our efforts, as were they and the county, but we remained significantly far apart on a deal, even at the last moment. It was the economics, and then things that were asked of us that were out of our control. The major league-related asks were something that were out of our control.”
Fisher owns half of the Oakland Coliseum property and has not attended a game since Kaval called Thao on April 19 of last year to inform her of an agreement to move the team to Las Vegas. The sale of the team’s portion of the Coliseum site was also a requirement of Oakland’s offer, but now the team could conceivably hold on to the property and block any future development on the site. Hanson indicated the A’s remain motivated to sell the site despite the decision to move to Sacramento, but Kaval — while acknowledging that the team remains in talks to sell the property to the local African American Sports & Entertainment Group — refused to answer when asked whether the team would vow not to stand in the way of future plans.
“Like I said, we’re still in open discussions with those groups,” Kaval said. “We’re evaluating our options, and we want to work with the interested parties to see if something could happen.”
The A’s will require approval from the Major League Baseball Players Association to play in a minor league park. Kaval says that MLB is working on that approval and that the A’s will be announcing changes to the ballpark for “both players and fans.” An MLBPA spokesperson told ESPN’s Jeff Passan, “The MLBPA has had preliminary discussions with MLB about a range of issues related to the temporary relocation, and we expect those discussions to continue.”
The A’s are off to a 1-6 start to the season and have drawn an average of 6,438 fans at the Coliseum through those seven games, a number that figures to drop even lower with the team cutting all ties to the East Bay. The team has a payroll of roughly $60 million, by far the lowest of the 30 big league teams and $25 million below the next-lowest team, the Pirates. Fans dubbed this the “Summer of Boycott,” which began on Opening Day, when thousands of fans protested Fisher’s ownership by going to the game that night but remaining in the parking lot throughout.
“We know it’s a sad day [in Oakland],” Kaval said. “But there are many good memories in that building. We’re hopeful we can make some more memories this season and have a proper send-off.”
The Oakland 68s, along with Last Dive Bar, are the two fan groups that have organized boycotts and consulted with the city on its sports future. In response to the Sacramento announcement, Jorge Leon, the president of the 68s, said, “Just really disappointed. Seems like everyone is against Oakland, even regionally. You’d think a guy like Vivek and Sacramento would’ve understood what we’re fighting for, but yet they’re facilitating the move. It just goes to show you that the structure of American sports fails communities. It won’t change until actual change has been made at the legislative level, but even then, those in the capital have also failed us.”
MLB owners unanimously approved the A’s relocation to Las Vegas after Fisher entered into an agreement to build a ballpark in the parking lot of the Tropicana casino and resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The team received $380 million in public funding from the Nevada State Legislature to build an estimated $1.5 billion stadium that — if all goes according to plan — will open for the 2028 season.
“Throughout this season, we will honor and celebrate our time in Oakland,” Fisher’s initial statement read, “and will share additional details soon.”
It’s 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Atlanta!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Truist Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
While the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture — 2024 winner Teoscar Hernandez is not a part of this year’s field — a number of exciting stars will be taking the field, including Atlanta’s own Matt Olson, who replaced Ronald Acuna Jr. just three days before the event. Will Olson make a run in front of his home crowd? Will Cal Raleigh show off the power that led to 38 home runs in the first half? Or will one of the younger participants take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at the night’s end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners (38 home runs in 2025)
James Wood, Washington Nationals (24)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (23)
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (21)
Brent Rooker, Athletics (20)
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (17)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (17)
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
Live updates
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Raleigh. His swing is perfect for the Derby: He leads MLB this season in both pull percentage and fly ball percentage, so it’s not as if he needs to recalibrate it to succeed. He has also become a prolific hitter from the right side this season — 16 home runs in 102 at-bats — and his ability to switch between right- and left-handed pitching offers a potential advantage. No switch-hitter (or catcher for that matter) has won a Home Run Derby. The Big Dumper is primed to be the first, beating Buxton in the finals.
Alden Gonzalez: Cruz. He might be wildly inconsistent at this point in his career, but he is perfect for the Derby — young enough to possess the stamina required for a taxing event that could become exhausting in the Atlanta heat; left-handed, in a ballpark where the ball carries out better to right field; and, most importantly, capable of hitting balls at incomprehensible velocities. Raleigh will put on a good show from both sides of the plate but will come in second.
Buster Olney: Olson. He is effectively pinch-hitting for Acuna, and because he received word in the past 72 hours of his participation, he hasn’t had the practice rounds that the other competitors have been going through. But he’s the only person in this group who has done the Derby before, which means he has experienced the accelerated pace, adrenaline and push of the crowd.
His pitcher, Eddie Perez, knows something about performing in a full stadium in Atlanta. And, as Olson acknowledged in a conversation Sunday, the park generally favors left-handed hitters because of the larger distances that right-handed hitters must cover in left field.
Jesse Rogers: Olson. Home-field advantage will mean something this year as hitting in 90-plus degree heat and humidity will be an extra challenge in Atlanta. Olson understands that and can pace himself accordingly. Plus, he was a late addition. He has got nothing to lose. He’ll outlast the young bucks in the field. And I’m not putting Raleigh any lower than second — his first half screams that he’ll be in the finals against Olson.
Jorge Castillo: Wood. His mammoth power isn’t disputed — he can jack baseballs to all fields. But the slight defect in his power package is that he doesn’t hit the ball in the air nearly as often as a typical slugger. Wood ranks 126th out of 155 qualified hitters across the majors in fly ball percentage. And he still has swatted 24 home runs this season. So, in an event where he’s going to do everything he can to lift baseballs, hitting fly balls won’t be an issue, and Wood is going to show off that gigantic power en route to a victory over Cruz in the finals.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night — and how far?
Passan: Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball history. He’s the choice here, at 493 feet.
Gonzalez: If you exclude the Coors Field version, there have been just six Statcast-era Derby home runs that have traveled 497-plus feet. They were compiled by two men: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. James Wood — all 6-foot-7, 234 pounds of him — will become the third.
Olney: James Wood has the easy Stanton- and Judge-type power, and he will clear the Chophouse with the longest homer. Let’s say 497 feet.
Rogers: Hopefully he doesn’t injure himself doing it, but Buxton will break out his massive strength and crush a ball at least 505 feet. I don’t see him advancing far in the event, but for one swing, he’ll own the night.
Castillo: Cruz hits baseballs hard and far. He’ll crush a few bombs, and one will reach an even 500 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the Derby?
Passan: Buxton capped his first half with a cycle on Saturday, and he’ll carry that into the Derby, where he will remind the world why he was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2015. Buxton’s talent has never been in question, just his health. And with his body feeling right, he has the opportunity to put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
Olney: Caminero isn’t a big name and wasn’t a high-end prospect like Wood was earlier in his career. Just 3½ years ago, Caminero was dealt to the Rays by the Cleveland Guardians in a relatively minor November trade for pitcher Tobias Myers. But since then, he has refined his ability to cover inside pitches and is blossoming this year into a player with ridiculous power. He won’t win the Derby, but he’ll open some eyes.
What’s the one moment we’ll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Gonzalez: The incredible distances and velocities that will be reached, particularly by Wood, Cruz, Caminero, Raleigh and Buxton. The hot, humid weather at Truist Park will only aid the mind-blowing power that will be on display Monday night.
Rogers: The exhaustion on the hitter’s faces, swinging for home run after home run in the heat and humidity of Hot-lanta!
Castillo: Cruz’s 500-foot blast and a bunch of other lasers he hits in the first two rounds before running out of gas in the finals.
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