Where would West Sacramento put an MLB stadium — and the River Cats?

The Abridged version:

• Regional leaders announced a plan to court an MLB expansion team and provided an idea of where the proposed stadium may be located in West Sacramento’s Bridge District.
• Renderings and photos appear to show that officials planned the proposed stadium at the current site of Sutter Health Park.
• The Sacramento River Cats have played at Sutter Health Park for decades, and the Athletics are in their second season of a three-year stint at the minor league ballpark.

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When regional leaders announced plans to court a Major League Baseball expansion team, they pointed to a 50-acre parcel of land in West Sacramento as the site for a new stadium.

If their bid beats out the other competing markets, the area around Sutter Health Park would be slated for expansion and redevelopment. At the center of that vision is a new, larger baseball stadium at the site of the current minor league ballpark, as pictured in renderings provided by the steering committee behind the pitch.

Sacramento and West Sacramento officials have touted the economic boon a major league team would bring to the west side of Tower Bridge, envisioning new apartment buildings, retail spaces and further development built around the stadium.

But what exists on that land now, and what would happen to Sutter Health Park?

Where on the riverfront?

Much of the riverfront land now targeted for the proposed stadium and surrounding development is covered with parking lots and open space on the west bank of the Sacramento River, near minor league stadium and longtime home of the Sacramento River Cats.

All 50 acres committed to the bid are zoned properly and fully entitled for a ballpark and mixed-use development, the project leaders have said. The stadium would be a focal point of West Sacramento’s Bridge District, which local officials have been planning for decades.

The land is controlled by people and organizations who are leading the bid, including the Sacramento Kings, Mark Friedman and the city of West Sacramento.

The Kings are majority owners of the River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

West Sacramento has promised $1 billion in potential future stadium revenue. The pitch organizers said they secured $800 million in land and private investment, which includes Friedman, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, the United Auburn Indian Community and others.

To compete with rival packages put together by Salt Lake City, Portland and other major markets, the Sacramento bid still requires another major investor to join the project, who would contribute what could be billions of dollars and own the majority of the team.

What about the River Cats?

The River Cats have been playing at Sutter Health Park for more than 25 years. For the last two, the team has shared its field with the Athletics, staggering the two home schedules to accommodate the MLB club before it relocates to the Las Vegas Strip.

If a major league stadium were built where Sutter Health Park is now, where the minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants would play is unclear.

The situation remains hypothetical, and there would be years of planning and many decisions to make should Sacramento be selected.

When asked how the major league pitch would affect the River Cats, a spokesperson from the ownership group Sacramento Basketball Holdings LLC — which also owns the Kings — told Abridged the organization is focused on providing “a world-class experience at Sutter Health Park for our fans, employees, and partners.”

“We believe Sacramento is well positioned for continued growth as a baseball market,” the spokesperson said.

Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.