The Oakland A's are searching for a home. They'll be in Oakland in 2024, and they hope to open up a ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028, but the three years in between are still in question.
Yesterday, A's officials toured Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, home of the Triple-A River Cats, a San Francisco Giants affiliate. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, they also have plans to tour Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City, home of the Los Angeles Angels Triple-A affiliate, the Bees.
While the A's are having a tough time with the whole "building a ballpark" thing, the Bees are set to open their new ballpark in 2025 with construction already underway. Smith's Ballpark was built in 1994 and would be outdated for a Triple-A team, but John Fisher wants to consider it a home for his Major League franchise.
While any ballpark in the country could feasibly work as a short-term solution to this problem, the bigger issue at play here is the A's television rights, which pays them a reported $67 million per season. The only catch is that they have to stay in the Bay Area to receive that full sum. Even a move up to Sacramento would lead to a meeting between Fisher and Comcast Sports California on future payments at a reduced rate.
Here's a question: After spending years in the minor leagues only to establish themselves in the Majors and reach free agency six years later, how many impact players that have other options are going to sign up to go play in a minor-league facility for half their games? The answer is likely zero.
Even the A's minor leaguers would be getting a raw deal in this situation. Las Vegas Ballpark opened in 2019, while Sutter Health Park opened in 2000, Smith's in 1994, and Greater Nevada Ballpark in 2009. The A's current Triple-A facility is the newest of the current crop of ballparks to choose from, and reaching the big leagues would be a step back in facilities for those guys.
Yesterday, A's officials toured Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, home of the Triple-A River Cats, a San Francisco Giants affiliate. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, they also have plans to tour Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City, home of the Los Angeles Angels Triple-A affiliate, the Bees.
While the A's are having a tough time with the whole "building a ballpark" thing, the Bees are set to open their new ballpark in 2025 with construction already underway. Smith's Ballpark was built in 1994 and would be outdated for a Triple-A team, but John Fisher wants to consider it a home for his Major League franchise.
While any ballpark in the country could feasibly work as a short-term solution to this problem, the bigger issue at play here is the A's television rights, which pays them a reported $67 million per season. The only catch is that they have to stay in the Bay Area to receive that full sum. Even a move up to Sacramento would lead to a meeting between Fisher and Comcast Sports California on future payments at a reduced rate.
Here's a question: After spending years in the minor leagues only to establish themselves in the Majors and reach free agency six years later, how many impact players that have other options are going to sign up to go play in a minor-league facility for half their games? The answer is likely zero.
Even the A's minor leaguers would be getting a raw deal in this situation. Las Vegas Ballpark opened in 2019, while Sutter Health Park opened in 2000, Smith's in 1994, and Greater Nevada Ballpark in 2009. The A's current Triple-A facility is the newest of the current crop of ballparks to choose from, and reaching the big leagues would be a step back in facilities for those guys.
