A’s leaving Oakland for Sacramento ahead of move to Las Vegas

OAKLAND, Calif. — It’s official. The Athletics will play their last season in Oakland this year before heading for the Sacramento area ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas.

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Team officials announced the decision on social media on Thursday.

For the 2025-2027 MLB seasons, Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento will host the A’s. Officials expect the team to move to its future home in Las Vegas by the 2028 baseball season.

Rumors had swirled about the move as the A’s faced the end of their lease of their current home, the Oakland Coliseum, at the end of the 2024 season.

“We explored several locations for a temporary home, including the Oakland Coliseum,” A’s owner and managing partner John Fisher said Thursday in a statement. “Even with the long-standing relationship and good intentions on all sides in the negotiations with Oakland, the conditions to achieve an agreement seemed out of reach.”

Fisher added, “We understand the disappointment this news brings to our fans, as this season marks our final one in Oakland. Throughout this season, we will honor and celebrate our time in Oakland, and will share additional details soon.”

Sutter Health Park is home to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, according to The Sacramento Bee. The team’s owner, Vivek Ranadivé, said in a statement obtained by the newspaper that he was “thrilled to welcome the A’s to Sutter Health Park.”

“Today marks the next chapter of professional sports in Sacramento,” he said. “The passion of our fans is second to none, and this is an incredible opportunity to showcase one of the most dynamic and vibrant markets in the country.”

Ranadivé also owns the Sacramento Kings, according to the Bee. Fisher is also a majority owner of the River Cats, KCRA reported.

“We extend our appreciation to the Kings and the City of West Sacramento, and look forward to making Sutter Health Park our home until our new ballpark opens in Las Vegas,” Fisher said Thursday.

The Oakland Coliseum has seating for up to 63,000 spectators, according to officials. Sutter Health Park has a capacity of 14,000, the A’s said.

The Atheletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland in 1968, according to The Mercury News. Last year, MLB team owners voted in favor of the team’s planned move to Las Vegas in a unanimous vote.

On Tuesday, the Tropicana closed on the Las Vegas Strip ahead of a planned demolition to make room for the A’s future stadium. The team is expected to start playing games in Vegas on Opening Day 2028.

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Tropicana Las Vegas closes LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 29: A video monitor featuring the Tropicana logo is shown inside the Tropicana Las Vegas on March 29, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel-casino opened in 1957 and will close on April 2, 2024, to make way for a planned USD 1.5 billion, 33,000-seat domed stadium for Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics and a related resort development by Bally's and Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. MLB owners approved the team's relocation to Nevada in November and the A's hope to move into the ballpark, which will occupy nine acres of the 35-acre site, in 2028. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) (David Becker/Getty Images)

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