A's J.D. Davis on team's relocation to Sacramento: "A downer for baseball."
DETROIT — The Oakland Athletics were in action on Friday for the first time since announcing they would be relocating to West Sacramento for the next three seasons once their lease is up this year with the Oakland Coliseum.
The A's lost to the Tigers 5-4 in Detroit's home opener. CBS Sacramento spoke with A's players post-game about the team's move north to California's capital region, which some called shocking.
Others said they were disappointed for the Oakland fanbase. One of those players was A's third baseman J.D. Davis, a native of Elk Grove, just south of Sacramento.
"Being a Northern California kid, seeing the A's, seeing the Giants, going to see them and playing at the Coliseum in high school, it's going to be a downer for baseball, especially if you see the retired numbers up there — Henderson, McGuire, Canseco — there's a lot of history in the Oakland Coliseum. It's shocking," Davis said.
While shocking, Davis said he understands the move can be good for Sacramento and its economy as a city on the rise.
"It is what it is. None of us are in those meetings. Not one of us in this clubhouse has sat down and voice our opinion on anything, and it's not like we're asking to. But at the same time, we just got to take the punches and go with it," he said.
Sutter Health Park, home to the San Francisco Giants Triple-A affiliate, will see various upgrades over the next year. Some players are aware of it but believe those upgrades will be completed for next season.
"We trust our [player's association] to make sure the right adjustments and amenities are met to make sure it's a major league stadium by the time we get there," A's outfielder Brent Rooker said.
"They definitely need a lot of upgrades to the clubhouse and cages and all that stuff. I'd say it was below-average Triple-A but I'm sure they'll take care of it by next year," A's second baseman Zack Gelof said.
Only a handful of players on this A's roster have played at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. If there is any silver lining in this, it is that they are excited to see what Sacramento has to offer.
In the end, that's what Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive wants: an audition for a full-time Major League Baseball team in the capital city.
Ranadive was key in bringing the ballclub to West Sacramento and joined A's officials in making the announcement at Sutter Health Park on Thursday.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg also spoke Thursday on whether this temporary relocation of the A's is an audition for a future MLB expansion.
"You bet it will be an audition," Steinberg said. "Just like what we showed with the Kings in good years and in many of the tough years, just as we show with [Sacramento Republic FC] year in and year out, just as we are so loyal to everything that is Sacramento, I have no doubt that our fans, our people, our ownership and our community will wow them all."
The A's have played in Oakland since 1968. They are set to play the next three seasons, with an option for a fourth, at Sutter Health Park, which is the home of the San Francisco Giants Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats.
