Earlier this spring, the Athletics introduced that they might relocate from Oakland to Sacramento at season’s finish, taking on a multi-year residency at Sutter Well being Park earlier than finally shifting into their deliberate new ballpark in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of many prevailing questions on the time of the A’s announcement was how a lot effort they might put into enhancing Sutter Well being Park between then and Opening Day 2025. In any case, whereas Sutter Well being Park is the house of the Triple-A River Cats, there is a world of distinction between the minor-league and big-league commonplace.
Main League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred addressed that matter on Thursday afternoon, chatting with reporters following the league’s annual spring house owners conferences.
“They’re truly developing a separate constructing adjoining to the stadium that would be the house clubhouse,” Manfred informed The Athletic’s Evan Drellich, amongst others. “They’re renovating the visiting clubhouse. There’s going to be new synthetic turf put in. They’re upgrading the digital camera functionality, in order that they get major-league high quality broadcasts out of Sacramento. There’s some revenue-associated renovations: some membership seating and video boards which can be being executed within the stadium.”
Manfred claimed that the Athletics have obtained seat deposits from round 13,000 individuals to this point; the stadium is at the moment promoting “precedence entry” to tickets to followers who put down a $100 per seat deposit on a season ticket membership. Sutter Well being Park’s capability is about 14,000, together with the outfield berms.
The commissioner additionally addressed the concept proprietor John Fisher would want to promote any shares with a purpose to finance the Las Vegas ballpark challenge. “By way of promoting items of the membership, I do not assume that John has a necessity of effectuating any of that with a purpose to meet this timeline,” Manfred mentioned. For context, the Athletics reportedly employed an funding agency in late April to assist safe a further $500 million in funding. In alternate, buyers can be rewarded with a minority possession share of the Athletics.
