What Jerseys Should the A's Wear in Sacramento?

Jason Burke | Oct 1, 2024

Sep 29, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Tyler Soderstrom (21) and Oakland Athletics right fielder Seth Brown (15) during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Now that the regular season is done, it's time to speculate wildly about the A's upcoming venture up north to Sacramento! It's unlikely that we'll hear anything definitive about the A's jersey selections until at least January, if not closer to the opening of camp in February. More specifically, what will the A's be wearing on the road, since they will no longer have a city designation?

We have some thoughts.

At home (Sutter Health Park), it's likely that the A's will predominantly wear their typical white jerseys, much like they did in Oakland. There was some speculation on the Chicago Cubs broadcast in September that the team would be doing away with Stomper on their jerseys once they land in Sacramento. We were unable to get a hard yes or no on that front, but regardless of whether the elephant will be on the jersey, Stomper does appear to be remaining as the mascot.

You'd have to be crazy to get rid of the elephant altogether while still wanting to keep the history of the A's intact, since that is one of the parts of the A's that extends the furthest back in time, all the way back to 1902.

But what will the A's wear on the road? Turns out, not every team wears their city on their road jerseys. Here is Shohei Ohtani both on the road (top) and at home (bottom) in the past week, with both jerseys reading 'Dodgers' across the chest.

Sep 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) leaves the field in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sep 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA;Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) scores on a RBI single by shortstop Mookie Betts (50) in the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Given the amount of imagination that A's ownership has, the team will likely end up with 'Athletics' across the chest for their gray jerseys.

That does leave the question of their alternate jersey option, given that they have no city connects, or a city to connect with, and their kelly greens read 'Oakland' across the chest. The guess we're going to throw out there will bring a little sense of nostalgia for A's fans, and that is the gold jerseys from the 2012-13 seasons.

October 5, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Grant Balfour (50) delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers during the ninth inning in game two of the American League divisional series playoff baseball game at O.co Coliseum. The Athletics defeated the Tigers 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Another option could be to use the old green alternate jerseys that read 'A's' on the left side as a second alternate, potentially just for road games, while the gold jerseys could be used at home. That way, the players will actually have some sort of choice in which jerseys they choose to wear each game, instead of having that decision dictated by whether the club is at home or on the road.

Sep 25, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp (4) walks to first base in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Texas beat Oakland 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The A's could also bust out something completely new and innovative in an effort to sell some merch while they're in Sacramento, but in terms of the options the team already has templates for, these are the ones that seem most likely at the moment. They could also roll with the green 'Athletics' jersey from around the same era, or even re-introduce the always popular black jerseys in the Sacramento heat.

Regardless of what the team ends up choosing, it'll be interesting to see which direction they take this, since this is an opportunity to do a very soft re-branding.