The Los Angeles Dodgers secured a series victory over the Oakland Athletics with a 3-2 win on Sunday in what represented their final visit to the Oakland Coliseum.
The A’s are planning to move to Las Vegas and will be playing their home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento from 2025 through 2027 season until their new stadium in Las Vegas is ready to be opened.
Oakland’s move comes after more than two decades of failed efforts to secure a new stadium in Oakland. Both the city of Oakland and A’s fans hoped for a solution, but team ownership appeared motivated to relocate.
Blake Treinen, who played for the A’s over parts of three seasons, wishes things played out differently for the franchise, via SportsNet LA:
“I think the hardest part is seeing that there was no, I mean, it’s hard to say that there was a legitimate effort to try to stay here. And I think that’s the hardest part because there’s a lot of history behind Oakland. A lot of people my dad’s age, they grew up watching a lot of the great ’70s teams and even into the ’80s.
“So it’s hard to just see the business side trying to move for, whether it be a better profit versus providing a product here where people can rally behind. There’s plenty of people in the Bay Area. There’s plenty of people around the world. I mean, it’s crazy that you can go anywhere and there’s a massive A’s base. It kind of blew my mind when I played here. And I’m like really, the A’s?
“And you start thinking about the phenomenal talent that’s been here over the years, Hall of Famers, and it’s too bad. It’s too bad they didn’t find a way to keep it here, because I think that sometimes nostalgia is a little bit more important than trying to sell out and move to a different city. You look at Vegas and yeah there’s people there, but it’s going to end up being a transient fan base and you have a passionate fan base here that would have loved to have kept one of the three teams, but they decided to bounce.
“So yeah, it is a little sad. The playing surface, to me, is just such a beautiful playing surface, but the stadium itself is old. It is what it is, but there’s a lot to appreciate when you’re here because you get to think about all the greats that played here.”
Some players who visit Oakland have collected dirt from the playing surface as a keepsake, but Treinen did not plan on doing that:
“My dad told me people have been doing that. I don’t know, (but) I don’t think I will. But some of my best memories were here. I’ve got some memories here and in L.A., that won’t be matched anywhere else. I’ve been very fortunate to be part of a couple of really good organizations in my career.”
While the A’s are planning to move to Las Vegas in 2028, they have the option to remain in West Sacramento for an additional year if obstacles arise with the construction of their stadium.
During their time in Sacramento, the team will simply be known as the A’s and not have a city attached to them.
The A’s have called Oakland home since 1968 and are the last remaining men’s professional sports team in the city. During their time in Oakland, they won four World Series titles and had several Hall of Famers play for them.
A’s first MLB team to relocate since 2005
The A’s will become the first MLB team to relocate since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington D.C., in 2005, and rebranded as the Nationals. Prior to that, the last MLB team to change cities was the Washington Senators, who became the Texas Rangers in 1972.
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