Reports claim Oakland A's move to Sutter Health Park is in jeopardy, MLB says deal is a "certainty"
WEST SACRAMENTO – Is the Oakland A's temporary move to Sutter Health Park next season in jeopardy?
A radio interview that hit the airwaves on KFBK Thursday morning caused quite the stir in the sports world.
Scott Boras, a prolific sports agent with Sacramento ties, told KFBK in an interview that he suspects the A's relocation to West Sacramento before the team moves permanently to Las Vegas is not a done deal.
"There is a new party that owns the coliseum that is now ready and willing to negotiate with the A's that wasn't before," Boras told KFBK.
Boras is referring to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) which by the end of the month will be the sole owner of the Oakland Coliseum. The group is not yet in a position to comment on their intentions or the insinuations they might try to keep the team in Oakland before its big move to Vegas.
"A new owner if they are interested in doing things like saving jobs and providing things like parking and concessions revenue and taxes for the city and themselves, I think they would be very open to that," Susan Slusser, senior baseball reporter for the SF Chronicle, told CBS13 Thursday.
Slusser has been covering the A's since 1996. She first published a story last week where Boras also voiced his skepticism over the A's move.
"There are a lot of unanswered questions. I think people like Scott Boras, who is one of the most powerful people in the history of the industry, are starting to ask a lot of questions. Like, why Sacramento when there is a perfectly good major league facility that is empty and available in the coliseum for the next three years?" Slusser said.
So, is it trouble in paradise at Sutter Health Park or is the rumor mill spinning out of control?
It depends on who you ask. Major League Baseball was quick to shut down the speculation Thursday.
"It is a certainty that the A's will play their 2025 season in Sacramento as planned. MLB is continuing to work productively with the [Major League Baseball Players Association] on the details of the transition," the MLB told CBS13 in a statement.
Boras also cites concerns that are an issue among A's players: they do not want to play on a new artificial turf field at Sutter Health Park next season.
The turf is necessary because, though the River Cats currently play on grass in the stadium, it will be impossible to maintain a grass field with both the River Cats and the A's teams jam packing their seasons onto that one field.
"That hot sun without a dome stadium, my god, it gets hotter than 130 degrees. We have no major league fields that are AstroTurf that are outdoors, they are all indoors," Boras said to KFBK.
Slusser, based on her own extensive reporting, has found the turf to be a big problem for players when it comes to greater potential for injury and heat impacts.
"I guarantee that there are going to be non-stop complaints from agents and players, particularly visiting players, in the next few years if they are in Sacramento," Slusser said.
CBS13 first interviewed A's players days after the move was announced in April.
"We trust our PA 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," said A's outfielder Brent Rooker.
"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," said second baseman Zack Gelof.
Construction on MLB-standard changes at Sutter Health Park has already started.
CBS13 was not able to reach the Sacramento River Cats and Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive for comment Thursday, but it's a safe bet that a strikeout on moving the A's to Sutter Health Park would be quite the upset for the ownership team already investing in those upgrades.
"If the A's want to keep their TV money they have to stay in Northern California. So right now there are just the two options," Slusser said.
Even though the MLB calls the move forward a "certainty," Slusser says in her decades of covering major league ball, she is not yet convinced considering her reporting has helped reveal frustrations on many levels.
"Things are certainly subject to change. I don't think anybody really knows how this is gonna work in Sacramento. Everyone is aware there will be an awful lot of bumps. We will see how many bumps Major League Baseball is willing to put up with," Slusser said.
The MLBPA told CBS13 that reports from outlets citing their association as having "confirmed" that they have "not yet signed off on the upgrades in the move to Sutter Health Park" are inaccurate at this stage and they did not confirm that information to any outlet.
They told CBS13 they have no comment at this time but that conversations with the MLB are ongoing.
