Sacramento's MLB Expansion Bid is Gaining Momentum — Here's Where it Stands
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The date is set for Sacramento's official MLB expansion launch press conference, but that information has not been made public just yet. What we do know is that details about the plan have emerged, including where the ballpark may end up.
Earlier this week, the Sacramento Bee reported that West Sacramento is in the process of purchasing 2.9 acres of industrial land in the Bridge District, near Sutter Health Park. For reference, this picture shows the land's location relative to Sutter Health Park, where the A's and River Cats play.
As you can see, it's well within reach of the ballpark, and the plan here is that West Sacramento can end up widening 5th Street to handle the traffic an MLB franchise would generate, if Sacramento is ultimately granted one.
In the Bee's piece, the mayor of West Sacramento, Martha Guerrero mentioned that the widening of the streets is not something that MLB had indicated needed to happen, adding, "but that is a factor."
That quote stood out, so we reached out to the mayor's office and talked with mayor Guerrero ourselves.
Mayor Guerrero on Sacramento's expansion bid
Our main question was about the quote "but that is a factor." Who determined this was a factor? Guerrero clarified that Major League Baseball has not begun its own expansion process, so no direct requests have been made by the league.
The land acquisition and planned street widening are part of a broader West Sacramento district improvement effort. One that could benefit an MLB franchise if approved, but one that exists independently of a mandate from the league. The roads, she noted, will be safer for pedestrians, regardless.
Sacramento's strategic expansion plan
The mayor also said that she would be sharing the strategic plan the following day with Jake Gadon of CBS Sacramento, and he shared numerous details on Thursday night.
The idea behind the land purchase is to consolidate ownership of the area for potential redevelopment: "The thought process is so that they can own everything in that area, which is everything from the stadium, to the parking lot, to everything up to Drake's," Gadon said. "The hope is there's only one ownership group of that whole entire area."
After seeing how the A's departed Oakland, with the Coliseum land being split between the A's and Oakland, consolidating ownership of the land that they're hoping to turn into a Major League attraction is a wise move.
Gadon also confirmed that Sacramento, West Sacramento and "other entities" will formally announce their push for an MLB expansion franchise in a couple of weeks.
Sacramento's biggest question mark already handled?
This is the piece of Gadon's interview that should ring some bells for the people of Sacramento.
"Everything that I've heard, is that they have the money — in terms of getting a big whale to come in here and buy a team. That's not the worry. Now with the acquisition of this new land, they believe they have the land to be able to build an MLB stadium in that area. On top of that, it also sounds like they have the tax money to make it happen."
Gadon also believes that the ballpark would end up going in the parking lot of Sutter Health Park, while the current ballpark would have to come down.
The goal of this entire bid is to make West Sacramento, and by extension Sacramento itself, a sports entity. With the NBA's Kings and the potential for MLS in the near future, a baseball team would really turn this area into a legitimate nationwide sports city.
The question once this process gets started will be how eager MLB is to consider Sacramento as an expansion city on the west coast. The other contenders are Salt Lake City, Utah, Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia. Some of those options could be pretty enticing, and a couple of them already have public funding lined up. All three have renderings.
The biggest factor for Sacramento is that they will have real data potentially on their side, with the A's playing games at Sutter Health.
Attendance is up by nearly 1,000 fans per game to 10,490 this season, which includes consistent weekend crowds that are either sellouts or close, and midweek games that are drawing an average of 8,913 per game against the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. Neither of those two clubs are typically the biggest road draws, but the fans are showing up.
If the A's keep contending this season, Sacramento will have something no other expansion hopeful does: real MLB data proving that the market works.
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. Mason Miller once said he likes Jason's content.
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