A's BAIL ON OAKLAND: Reach Deal to Play in Sacramento While Waiting for Las Vegas Stadium

HERE'S HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN:
Athletics president Dave Kaval called Leigh Hanson, the chief of staff for Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, at 7:36 a.m. PT to inform her of the team's decision. Oakland A's owner John Fisher followed five minutes later with a call to Thao, and the team announced its move on social media 10 minutes after that.

INSIDE THE MOVE
The Oakland Athletics officially announced they will leave Oakland after the 2024 season and relocate to a minor league ballpark in West Sacramento for at least three years, as confirmed by the team and Oakland officials early Thursday morning.

Now this move is not as dramatic as the Colts bailing on the city of Baltimore after midnight, but clearly, the A's have had enough of the local politics that were unable to solve their stadium issue for over 10 years. The A's who have clearly lost the majority of their local fan support have been drawing just 6,438 people per game, compared to the Los Angeles Dodgers who draw over 44,000 fans per game.

"We explored several locations for a temporary home, including the Oakland Coliseum," Fisher said in a statement. "Even with the long-standing relationships and good intentions on all sides in the negotiations with Oakland, the conditions to achieve an agreement seemed out of reach. We understand the disappointment this news brings to our fans, as this season marks our final one in Oakland."

No word yet, if Stomper, the mascot is making the move and if he will have access to a beam that lights up the sky after a home win.

This marks the end of the Athletics' 56-year presence in the East Bay, a period that saw the team win four World Series championships, though the current team is heading towards its third consecutive 100-loss season.

The agreement with Sacramento includes a three-year lease from 2025 to 2027, with a team option for 2028 in case the planned ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip is not ready in time. The Athletics will share Sutter Health Park with the Sacramento River Cats, the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A team. The park has 10,624 permanent seats, with lawn seating increasing capacity to approximately 14,000. Sutter Health Park is located about 85 miles northeast of the Oakland Coliseum.