“That field needs a lot of work” – Athletics star Ryan Noda expresses concern over team’s impending Sacramento move

The Oakland Athletics are moving to Sutter Health Park next year, and at least Ryan Noda is publicly concerned about it.

The first baseman has gone on record saying that he doesn’t believe the park, which functions as a minor league park, is ready to handle any Major League Baseball team or activities.

Via USA Today, he said:

“Concerns? The field, the locker rooms, the dugouts, the surface, making sure all the safety protocols and everything is up to par. That field needs a lot of work, a lot of money put into it in order for it to be a big league place.”

From Noda’s perspective, everyone is going to have to put in a ton of work over the next year or so to get their temporary stadium to a level that’s safe and useful enough for MLB teams and players.

Money will be needed for that, as Noda detailed. However, the Athletics are one of the lowest spending teams in baseball, so this could be an interesting situation to watch playing out.

Why are the Athletics going to Sacramento?

The Oakland Athletics’ fan base is unhappy
The Oakland Athletics are heading to Sacramento for at least three seasons. That comes on the heels of the approval of their longterm move to Las Vegas, so why are they making a pit stop in Sacramento?

The team is ready to move on from Oakland, and they’re going to rip the band-aid off (so to speak) this offseason. Rather than wait it out, they’re leaving now. However, the stadium in Las Vegas is not remotely ready and won’t be for several years.

That means they have to find a temporary home, and they’ve settled on Sutter Health Park, which houses a San Francisco Giants’ minor league affiliate. When the stadium is done, the Athletics will move there.

They are slated to be in Sacramento from 2025 to 2027. They have an option year in 2028 if the Vegas stadium isn’t built by then.