Sacramento Minor League Team Reportedly Considering Dropping A's For Giants
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) - Despite more than a decade as one of the most successful minor league baseball partnerships in the nation, the Sacramento River Cats are reportedly considering dropping their partnership with the Oakland Athletics at the end of the season and signing on with the San Francisco Giants.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday that River Cats management is very interested in partnering with the Giants after their deal with the A's expires at the end of the season. The team – which plays at the highest level of minor league baseball, AAA – has regularly led the minor leagues in attendance since moving their downtown-adjacent ballpark, Raley Field, in 2000.
"If they want the Giants and the Giants want to go there…there is nothing the A's can do about it," a minor league source told the newspaper.
The Sacramento affiliate is ideal for Bay Area teams because it allows players to be called up just hours before home games. The Giants are currently affiliated with the Fresno Grizzlies. It's not clear if the A's would be in line to make the Fresno team their representative if the switch is made.
The move would likely add to A's fan animosity toward the Giants. The San Francisco squad is currently blocking the A's franchise move to the South Bay over a territorial claim. The A's have filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball hoping to get the move approved.