What anonymous MLB players said about A’s move to Sacramento originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
With the Athletics’ pending move to Sacramento looming, many players around MLB have let their opinions be known about the organization.
In a recent MLB player poll by The Athletic, there were plenty of strong opinions about the A’s relocation and the state of the franchise.
“I mean, have you seen what they’re doing to the city of Oakland and their fans?,” an anonymous player said.
“It doesn’t seem like they want to win,” another player said.
“I’ve heard Oakland is pretty rough,” an anonymous player explained. “Sacramento for three years? I’ve been to that ballpark before. They can’t find something better?”
Given the acrimonious relationship between the A’s and their fans over the past few years, it’s no surprise that players from around the league would have negative opinions about the organization.
Team owner John Fisher has garnered a negative reputation throughout the fan base and the league for a variety of reasons, including the drawn-out discussions between the team and the city of Oakland over a new ballpark that oftentimes yielded little-to-no progress for years, prompting the franchise to seek relocation to Las Vegas and the team’s low payrolls.
With the new stadium on the Vegas Strip not expected to be completed until the start of the 2028 MLB season, Fisher and the A’s decided to let their lease at the Oakland Coliseum expire, much to the dismay of fans.
Instead of staying at the Coliseum, the team will spend three seasons at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, currently the home of the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate River Cats.
The move will bring to a close 56 years of professional baseball in Oakland, leaving the city without a single major professional sports franchise for the first time since 1959.
