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Sacramento is the favorite to host the A’s between 2025 and 2027 before they move to Las Vegas, said a person briefed on the team’s search process. The Athletic on Friday.
Salt Lake City and a return to the Oakland Coliseum are the other two remaining possibilities for a temporary home, the person said. A decision is expected in weeks, rather than months.
The A’s and the city of Oakland met Thursday to discuss the possibility of the A’s remaining in the city through 2027.
“We had a constructive and positive meeting with the city of Oakland and Alameda County and are focused on continuing discussions regarding a lease extension at the Coliseum,” an A’s spokesperson said.
However, a return to the Coliseum is still seen as a “difficult road,” the person briefed on the search process said, considering how complicated the team’s planned departure from Oakland has already been.
From the club’s perspective, staying in Oakland has one primary benefit: It would allow the team to keep the television money NBC Sports California already owes it contractually.
However, moving to Sacramento could also allow the A’s to keep a sizable portion of the money they are owed, the person said. How much exactly could be a matter of negotiation. Even if the A’s are technically outside the territory outlined in their television deal, NBC Sports California already has another Sacramento team, the Kings. A spokesperson for NBC Sports California declined to comment.
Moving to Salt Lake City, on the other hand, could leave the A’s starting from scratch when it comes to television revenue.
Sutter Health Park in Sacramento is home to the Triple-A River Cats, an affiliate of the Giants, and can seat more than 14,000 people.
(Sutter Health Park photo above: Kirby Lee via AP)