The Oakland Athletics (A’s) are running out of time to determine where they will play their home games from 2025 to 2027. This has been a top priority for team officials in recent weeks. Along with visiting several potential stadium sites, the A’s met with Oakland officials yesterday to discuss the possibility of a three-year lease extension at the Coliseum.
While the lease extension at the Coliseum is still being considered, according to Evan Drellich of the Athletic, Sacramento has emerged as the frontrunner for hosting the games temporarily. Drellich also mentions that two other possibilities under consideration are a lease extension at the Coliseum and playing in Salt Lake City. Previously, the A’s had explored other options such as Reno, Summerlin, Nevada, and sharing Oracle Park with the San Francisco Giants.
Following their meeting on Thursday, both the A’s and Oakland officials remained relatively quiet. The organization released a concise statement describing the meeting as “constructive and positive” and stating their focus on continuing discussions about a lease extension at the Coliseum. However, Drellich reports that the strained relationship between the city and the A’s remains a significant obstacle.
The A’s current lease at the Coliseum expires at the end of the upcoming season, and their new park in Las Vegas is not expected to be ready until 2028. If the A’s were to leave the Bay Area, it would put their local broadcasting contract with NBC Sports California at risk. The network has the option to terminate their TV deal, which is rumored to pay the organization around $70 million in 2024, once the team leaves Oakland or San Francisco. Sacramento is considered part of the Bay Area under the terms of that contract. By securing a short-term lease extension with Oakland, the A’s would be able to continue receiving those revenues for another three seasons.
However, this is not a concern for Oakland and Alameda County. Oakland mayor Sheng Thao has indicated that the city may have significant demands in order to approve a lease extension. One suggestion has been for the franchise to abandon the A’s name, which the organization is not willing to consider, or for Major League Baseball (MLB) to guarantee the city a future expansion team.
According to Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, Thao’s office has had initial discussions with MLB about linking an A’s lease extension to the promise of a future expansion franchise. Leigh Hanson, Thao’s chief of staff, implied that this trade-off is necessary from the city’s perspective.
While it remains to be seen whether MLB will seriously consider this proposition, the league’s hope for now is that the A’s can find a solution in Sacramento. Drellich suggests that if the A’s were to head to the California capital, they could attempt to renegotiate their TV deal with NBC Sports California. This would likely involve reduced rights fees but could allow the organization to retain some of the money they would otherwise lose if they were to leave Oakland next season.
Sutter Health Park in Sacramento is currently the home stadium of the River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The park has a seating capacity of just over 14,000.
According to the Source mlbtraderumors.com