Sacramento and West Sacramento leaders are cranking up their most aggressive pitch yet to land a Major League Baseball expansion team, with a formal campaign rollout set for this spring and a May press conference on deck. The strategy leans heavily on the Athletics’ temporary stay in West Sacramento and a push for public-private financing that could reshape the Bridge District and nearby developments.
Mayor Kevin McCarty said Sacramento is "making a real push" for an expansion franchise and warned that a new ballpark could cost "in excess of $1 billion." He added that leaders plan a May news conference to formally launch the bid, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Speaking at the State of Downtown gathering, McCarty said he and West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero will roll out a campaign this spring to position the Capital Region as a formal expansion contender. MLB insiders have suggested the league could add two teams by the time Commissioner Rob Manfred steps down in 2029, which would put Sacramento in a western bracket that includes Salt Lake City and Portland, according to reporting from CapRadio.
Temporary A's stay turns downtown into an audition
The Athletics are slated to play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the 2025-27 seasons while their Las Vegas stadium is built out, and local officials say that run effectively turns the region into a three-year audition. The ballpark is being upgraded to hit major league standards and will double as a live stress test of whether the market can truly support MLB over the long haul. Those details are outlined by Major League Baseball and in local coverage from CBS Sacramento.
Money and the map
McCarty said West Sacramento already has a special taxing district that could support a public-private partnership to help fund a stadium, and that officials are eyeing parcels near Sutter Health Park as possible long-term sites. He also pointed to an uneven property tax split, about 48 cents on the dollar in West Sacramento compared with roughly 22 cents in the city of Sacramento, as part of the calculus for how local revenue might be assembled. Those details were reported in The Sacramento Bee.
Local upside and hurdles
Economic boosters are dangling a sizable potential payoff if Sacramento lands a permanent team. The Greater Sacramento Economic Council has estimated annual economic impact at about $650 million. At the same time, analysts note that a nine-figure stadium price tag, the need for a clearly committed ownership group and strong competition from other western metros will create a steep climb unless there is a locked-in financing plan and a chosen site. The $650 million estimate was reported by KCRA, and broader market and investor context comes from Sports Business Journal.
For now, officials say they will use the A’s temporary stay and the spring campaign to build momentum ahead of the planned May announcement. Turning that political energy into an actual stadium deal, though, will mean answering three blunt questions: who fronts the ownership group, where a permanent ballpark actually goes and how much public money, if any, the region is willing to put on the table.
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