Amid concerns that Sutter Health Park in Sacramento will not be ready for Major League Baseball when the Athletics move in next season, MLB released a statement Thursday saying it is a "certainty" the A's will call Sacramento home in 2025.
"It is a certainty that the A's will play their 2025 season in Sacramento as planned," the league said in a statement. "MLB is continuing to work productively with the MLBPA on the details of the transition."
Sutter Health Park, which seats around 14,000 including outfield lawn open seating, will have to be upgraded to meet collectively bargained standards. Those renovations are already underway long before Opening Day, though concerns still exist, particularly with the turf field. Here's what agent Scott Boras told the San Francisco Chronicle recently:
"Being raised in Elk Grove, the summer heat there in the Sacramento area is extraordinary, and if they put artificial turf there, that's going to magnify the impact of the heat," agent Scott Boras said. "In the major-league stadiums where there is Astroturf, there's a dome so that the turf doesn't absorb the heat. Those of us who played on Astroturf when it's outdoors, like I did in the minor leagues, you understand it just releases heat, and you get up into 120-130 degrees in your shoes because you're absorbing that heat.
"And what amendments have been made to allow for indoor pregame work? These are player concerns that have to be addressed. Protection of the players' health and safety is imperative and from a business perspective — we are dealing with elite athletes."
Sutter Health Park will use the same turf as Chase Field in Arizona, home of the Diamondbacks, though Chase Field has a retractable roof and is climate controlled. In Sacramento, the turf will simply bake in the open air stadium all summer.
The clubhouses and indoor workout and training areas will also have to be upgraded to meet MLB standards, similar to Sahlen Field when the Blue Jays called Buffalo home in 2020 and 2021. Sutter Health Park is typically hitter friendly, which will be a stark contrast to spacious RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland.
The A's will share Sutter Health Park with the Sacramento River Cats, Triple-A affiliate of the Giants. When the Athletics are home, the River Cats will be on the road, and when the River Cats are home, the A's will be on the road.
The Athletics are expected to play in Sacramento from 2025-27, and possibly in 2028, before moving into a new stadium in Las Vegas.
