Sacramento makes its case as MLB's next expansion city, calling itself a market too big to ignore

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The metropolis of Sacramento has officially begun its quest to person a Major League Baseball team.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has insisted connected adding 2 enlargement teams earlier helium retires from his station successful January 2029, and Sacramento, the largest marketplace successful the United States without an MLB team, has thrown its chapeau successful the ring.

The hometown of MLB legends Dusty Baker and Derrek Lee raised $1.8 cardinal successful conscionable 4 months for a imaginable stadium, portion its section teams similar the NBA’s Kings, USL’s Republic FC and MiLB’s River Cats consistently fertile adjacent the apical of gross and attendance successful their respective leagues.

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A wide presumption of Sutter Health Park during a shot crippled successful Sacramento, California

A wide presumption of Sutter Health Park during the crippled betwixt the Houston Astros and the Athletics successful Sacramento, California, connected April 3, 2026. (Eakin Howard/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

"I deliberation it's a large marketplace for baseball. There's a affluent history, and I'm learning a batch astir it myself," Barry Broome, president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, said successful a caller interrogation with Fox News Digital.

"People don't speech astir us, but we're a top-20 media market, we're doubly the size of Las Vegas and doubly the size of Salt Lake City. I don't deliberation radical deliberation of america that mode due to the fact that California has this outwardly spectacular marque and estimation historically."

Sacramento has gotten a sensation of nonrecreational shot arsenic the Athletics are calling the superior of California location until they determination to Las Vegas successful 2028. Broome admitted that the Athletics concern — with the Sacramento fandom being astir 60% San Francisco Giants and 40% Athletics — helped the metropolis recognize it had an option.

This is the projected tract of Sacramento's MLB stadium. Currently, it holds the Sacramento RiverCats, a Minor League Baseball team. (The Sacramento Pitch)

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"When they came to Sacramento, I deliberation the municipality was pleasantly surprised. The contiguous absorption was, 'Can we support them?' Everyone was excited and asking whether the Athletics could stay. We had to archer radical nary — they're lone going to beryllium present for 3 years portion they modulation to Las Vegas," Broome said. "But their accomplishment made the municipality commencement reasoning that possibly we could person our ain team. I deliberation the Athletics are present benefiting from that.

"The momentum astir the squad is growing, attendance is increasing, and assemblage enthusiasm is gathering due to the fact that radical are starting to deliberation that if we bash a batch for the Athletics, we're besides demonstrating to Major League Baseball that Sacramento is ready."

Areas similar Nashville, Austin/San Antonio, Montreal, Charlotte, Orlando, Portland, Raleigh and Salt Lake City person been successful the enlargement conversation, but Broome believes Sacramento has already proven itself with its "dedicated instrumentality base."

"We’re a municipality that has a batch to bring to baseball… Why wouldn't MLB travel into a assemblage that, astatine its heart, is simply a shot town, that has demonstrated occurrence with its minor-league sports and its NBA team? Why not travel successful and seizure that unthinkable media market?" Broome said. "We deliberation Major League Baseball should spot that arsenic an accidental it cannot walk up. I deliberation we've got the way grounds to bash it, and present we're connected a ngo to enactment ourselves successful superior contention for this expansion…