Casey Pratt on if Sacramento can actually keep a pro baseball team after 2027
Apr 8, 2024, 10:22 AM | Updated: 10:27 am
ABC7’s Casey Pratt joined “The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross” Monday morning to share his thoughts on the Oakland Athletics decision to play in Sacramento for the next three seasons.
Last week, the A’s and Sacramento Kings officially announced that the Athletics will call Sutter Health Park, the home of the Sacramento River Cats, home from 2025-28 with an option for a fourth year.
After the press conference, Pratt had a back-and-forth with Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé in a media scrum. Ranadive told the media that he’s had conversations with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. However, when pressed by Pratt, the Kings owner said there is no guarantee Sacramento will get an expansion team.
“I just feel like he [Vivek Ranadivé] probably could have driven a harder bargain or at least tried to get some assurances from [MLB Commissioner Rob] Manfred, but I think what he did was saw and opportunity and tried to capitalize on it,” Pratt said, adding if Vivek thinks he’s in a position to keep the A’s, “he’s going to have to get in line.
“There’s not just Joe Lacob out here, I can think of probably five different major groups that would be willing to buy the A’s and put in an expansion team in the East Bay. And not to mention, they have two basically shovel-ready stadium sites already and a bunch of funds raised. Sacramento does not have that.”
Additional topics discussed include:
- Possibly being the only Bay Area media member to attend the Oakland Athletics press conference in Sacramento
- The demeanor of the press conference
- Expecting owners and the MLBPA to approve the A’s temporary move to Sacramento
- What Vivek did “is hypocritical” because of what happened when the Kings nearly relocated
- The latest on developments in Las Vegas and what could prevent the A’s from going to the desert
- If he had one question to ask Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher, what would he ask?
- How much progress the city of Oakland has made with potential new ballparks
Click here to watch and listen to the full interview with Casey Pratt.
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