Inside The As

A's Players Take in Sacramento Kings Game

Jason Burke

Jan 6, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) takes a three point shot against Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Jan 6, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) takes a three point shot against Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
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On Monday, some of the A's top players took a tour of their new home for the next few seasons in Sacramento. Among the group were Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, and Lawrence Butler, who will at times make up the entirety of the team's outfield, along with their most consistent starter over the past two seasons, JP Sears.

Butler and Sears have been keeping their followers on Instagram apprised of their day, with Sears showing the guys at a Sacramento Kings practice facility early on Monday, which included a Rooker dunk, and Butler showing off the beam after a Sacramento win on Sunday evening.

When ABC10 in Sacramento interviewed Butler ahead of Monday night's game, he said that it was his first time seeing the beam live. "It was pretty cool. I even recommended that we get a beam. That would be pretty dope. Hopefully when they win tonight, I can light it. That's kind of my goal for the night."

Obviously hearing some of the players embrace their new home in Sacramento is going to be tough for the fans that feel left behind and deserted in Oakland, but it's tough to argue that this isn't the right tactic for the franchise as they head to a new city. Butler is extremely likable and charismatic, so getting him in front of a new fan base is a wise idea. Also getting some of the key player's faces to a new audience is certainly the way to go.

Early in the game the players and manager Mark Kotsay were introduced on the big screen to a cheering crowd, though the in-house MC slightly misspoke by calling them the "Sacramento Athletics." The team has made it clear that they are to be called just "The Athletics" or "The A's" with no city designation during their time in Sacramento.

In the photos released by the Athletics' social media account, you can also spot the owner of the Sacramento Kings, Vivek Ranadivé sitting one chair removed from Kotsay. They also shared a brief video of all of the members of the A's organization in attendance receiving personalized Kings jerseys, which has to make these Sacramento newcomers feel very welcome in their new city.

According to Martín Gallegos of MLB.com, the A's have said that they have sold close to 6,300 season tickets for the season, and with just 10,624 permanent seats available to sell plus another 3,390 seats on the grass, the team expects a complete sellout for the majority of their home games in 2025.

The Athletics plan to play in Sacramento for at least the next three seasons, beginning with the upcoming campaign, with the possibility of a fourth year option on the table. Whether that fourth year is necessary will depend on how much progress is made on the team's proposed Las Vegas ballpark in the coming months.

Representatives have said that they can start groundbreaking at the Tropicana site as late as the second quarter of 2025, which means that in the next six months construction would have to begin in order to meet their target of opening that ballpark by 2028.

Those are questions for another day. For now, the A's players are soaking in their home for the next three years.

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Jason Burke
JASON BURKE

Jason is the host of the Locked on A's podcast, and the managing editor of Inside the A's. He's a new father and can't wait to take his son to his first baseball game at the Coliseum. 

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