A's executives were scheduled to meet in Sacramento as temporary relocation decision looms
WEST SACRAMENTO - Oakland Athletics team officials were scheduled to meet in the capital region Wednesday to talk about the possibility of moving the team temporarily to Sutter Health Park.
Sources confirmed the visit with CBS13 this week, but the details of what came out of the scheduled visit are still up in the air.
Many baseball enthusiasts who are following the move closely expect we could have that answer for where the A's will play next season any day now.
"With the Athletic's front office and how they operate it may get delayed again, just like they delayed everything else," said the co-director of "Summer of Sell" documentary covering A's fan's fight to keep their team in Oakland Jared Isham. "It comes down to the sports network deal with NBC Sports. If NBC is willing to give them some sort of deal in Sacramento."
This week, the City of Oakland proposed a roughly $97 million deal for the A's to stay, but it has been crickets as to what offer the capital region is pitching.
"From our standpoint, everybody is in the dark waiting to hear," said Rob Roberts who lives in Galt, a small community in Sacramento.
Roberts is an affiliate of The Last Dive Bar that has been spearheading stadium boycotts in Oakland.
"Will die-hard A's fans like yourself support the team if they were to be at Sutter Health?" CBS13's Tori Apodaca asked.
"I will be in there protesting just as I am with the activities we put together in Oakland," said Roberts. "No, I will not."
Other baseball fans think a move to Sacramento would be a good thing.
"It would be really nice to have something here, seems big enough," said Alyssa Clark who was visiting the stadium from Redding with her family on Wednesday.
Is the seating at Sutter Health up to major league standards? Right now, between stadium seats and the grass, Sutter Health can fit about 14,600 fans. The Oakland A's Coliseum fits 63,000 fans. Less than 11,000 fans showed up to A's home games on average last season.
"Is there a place for them to get ready, green rooms, transportation, workout rooms?" said Isham.
Local leaders and Sutter Health refused to comment on the renovations that many speculate MLB and the Players Association would require.
"Sacramento is the capital city of California, so it would be good to have a Major League Baseball team here," said Joseph Clark who is a young baseball lover.
There is still no word on how an A's move to Sutter Health would impact the River Cats who already call West Sacramento home. The team is an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
Which city will strike out is still left to be seen, but with the 2025 MLB season schedule slated to come out in the summer, the time is ticking for the A's to pick the best pitch for where to temporarily play while the stadium in Las Vegas is being built.