The Abridged version:
- Regional leaders have assembled $800 million in investments toward a bid to join Major League Baseball, with a stadium planned for West Sacramento.
- MLB intends to add two expansion teams by 2030, and Sacramento is expected to compete with several other markets for the spots.
- The group behind the bid is seeking a lead investor who could help cover the stadium costs and expansion fee.
The Sacramento region wants to play in the big leagues.
In an announcement years in the making, regional leaders said Thursday they were assembling a bid for an expansion team in Major League Baseball. The region is hoping to leverage its standing as the temporary home of the Athletics, a growing financial commitment and the region’s size to prove to the baseball world that it is worthy of a spot when MLB adds teams in the near future.
Sacramento is expected to compete with Nashville, Salt Lake City, Portland, Charlotte and other major markets for up to two expansion spots. While Major League Baseball has not announced a formal expansion process, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has said he is aiming for the league to expand by the end of this decade. It’s expected one market will be added from each coast.
“When Major League Baseball is ready to expand, Sacramento will be ready to compete, and we’ll be ready to win,” said Mark Friedman, whose development firm has spearheaded much of the growth in West Sacramento near Sutter Health Park.
If a bid is secured, a new stadium would be constructed in West Sacramento, which has served as the temporary home of the A’s for two years and hosted the Triple-A River Cats since 2000. The stadium would likely anchor a broader commercial development in West Sacramento’s Bridge District, where restaurants and hundreds of homes have been built in recent years.
The local bid has amassed $800 million through a combination of land and financial investment. The United Auburn Indian Community and Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians have each committed $250 million. Friedman and the Sacramento Kings have committed roughly $300 million combined in land and equity to the proposal.
The city of West Sacramento is expected to commit up to $1 billion to the development of a new stadium through tax increment financing, a process in which a growth in tax revenue can be used to fund infrastructure and economic development projects. Cities in California have increasingly used that tool, saying that doing so allows them to support major projects while avoiding the use of local budgets that pay for police, fire and other general services.
“We’re the biggest city without a team, the largest television market without a team,” Friedman said. “We’ve got a motivated community in West Sacramento that has stepped up in a big way. We’ve got the site, we’ve got the market and we’re well on our way to having the money. We should be a strong contender.”
What else is needed?
The missing piece to Sacramento’s bid is a lead investor. However, those behind the expansion bid are hopeful that the significant financial commitments they’ve already secured will help lure a billionaire seeking to own a major league franchise. In addition to helping with the cost of constructing a new stadium, a lead investor would also be needed to help cover an MLB expansion fee that is expected to surpass $2 billion.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said the group behind the bid is evaluating several options for a lead investor. He declined to identify who the group has been in contact with but said the lead investor may be someone who already owns another major league sports franchise.
“We’re focusing on what makes the most sense for Sacramento, for our bid and to make sure it makes a good match,” he said.
The Sacramento region has long desired to attract a big league baseball club. An attempt in the 1990s to land a team led to the construction of the foundation of a stadium next to the former Sleep Train Arena in North Natomas. In 2012, former Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson briefly assembled a group to explore if the region could lure an MLB team.
The Athletics are playing their second season in West Sacramento, with plans to move to Las Vegas in 2028. After a bumpy start to their three-year stay in the Capital Region, the team has attracted larger crowds this season; the A’s have been at or near the top of the American League West division for most of the season and have more visibly embraced the region with Sacramento-branded jerseys and other gear.
“This is a defining moment for West Sacramento, and we’re ready,” said West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero in a news release. “Major League Baseball is already seeing firsthand the passion, energy and civic pride that exists here.”
Ryan Lillis is the Associate General Manager of News at PBS KVIE.
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.
Editor’s note: Mark Friedman is a Founding Supporter of Abridged by PBS KVIE.