Any chance Sacramento would be viable? There seems to be a lot of development space at the railyards, and the "short" move would probably allow the A's to keep an RSN deal in the Bay - plus it would be close enough that in addition to Sacramento fans in-stadium, Bay Area based fans could easily come out a few times a year (I mean, I've probably averaged 2-3 A's games a year over the past decade, and I'm not even a nominal A's fan).
I can't tell from just this, but it sounds like the team wants to do this with private financing, so unless there's a big public component that isn't being mentioned, I can't see a downside for Sac, if the A's were interested in coming.
Right now SAC isn’t being mentioned as a possible destination by the Nat’l media .... but it should be. It actually makes the most sense. On many fronts.
SAC has been trying to lure the A’s since at least the 80’s (I attended the “Sacramento March on Baseball“ game at the Coliseum in ‘88). The Rivercats have been here since 2000 and have remained one of the best attended AAA franchises to this day. And they were the A’s AAA club for a long, long time.
While I fully acknowledge that SAC is primarily a Giants town, there is still a large base of A’s fans already in the Capital City. And I firmly believe many East Bay fans would still follow and support the team in SAC. It’s an 88 mi drive from the Coliseum to the Railyards. It’s not super far. For fans that live in Concord, Pittsburg, Antioch, and Stockton — it’s even closer.
When the KINGS moved to SAC, it was a Warriors and Lakers town though nowhere near as committed. But over time, that changed. Like the KINGS, young kids would grow up with the A’s and their kids will become fans. The fan base would eventually grow to drown out the Giants fans. Even faster if the A’s win.
But regardless, they’d start out with a much higher volume of dedicated fans — that also are invested in their history— than anywhere else they could go (with San Jose apparently off the table due to territorial rights).
If the A’s are serious about private financing, I’m sure Mayor Steinberg can figure out how make things workout with infrastructure costs. They have to invest in infrastructure in the Railyard no matter what is built there.
I know they are still trying to make the MLS Stadium work out, but if they don’t land a new investor soon — they need to pivot and jump on this potential opportunity ASAP. Don’t let the A’s head to Vegas, Portland, Nashville or Vancouver.
This city was a baseball city first and foremost. That changed with the KINGS over time. But the baseball itch is still there. Always has been. The A’s would be embraced here. Hell, there are even lots of Giants fans that have supported the team because they are in the American League. I’m sure that’d apply to some degree here in SAC too.