The Sacramento A’s have not yet played a single game in their “new” stadium, but already, we suspect that the club is leaving with a hold on it. For what? Because no one is willing to see what training has done to the Oakland community.
Liam Hendriks actually cried on this subject when he saw the A’s last game in Oakland. He’s probably not the only one.
Moving to a AAA stadium for three years while waiting for the next stadium in Vegas to be ready doesn’t sit well with fans, but they’re not the only ones who are angry.
In fact, so are owners elsewhere in the MLB. After all, they’ve been giving to the A’s for years (revenue sharing) and the revenue that will be generated in Sacramento won’t be huge.
To remedy this, the club has a solution in mind: spend. Thus, the other teams will not say that the club is lining its pockets and this will keep them calmer on the sidelines of the “Sacramento” era of the A’s.
According to Bob Nightengale, the A’s plan to increase their payroll to $100 million. This should keep other teams and the Players Association calm, for now.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/11/25/mlb-rumors-juan-soto-latest-news-trade-market/76556552007
In 2024, if we look at the projections, the A’s had the smallest pool in the league at $63 million. The Pirates, Rays, Marlins and Tigers were also under $100 million.
I don’t know how the club plans to get to $100 million (probably by transaction, because free agents won’t want to go to Sacramento), but it’s a shame for the people of Oakland.
After all, the A’s will raise the money in Sacramento by around $40 million and it will be even bigger in Vegas, according to what has been circulating for months. But didn’t the people of Oakland deserve that?
Remember that John Fisher remains the owner. It’s not like there’s a change of ownership along the way.
A’s fans in Oakland were treated like dirt on tuesday for years – as much in terms of the stadium as the club’s roster and rumors of a move – and the second the club leaves, the club considers increasing its assets by almost $40 million?
What a lack of respect for Oakland fans.
