Guerrero touts West Sacramento’s MLB experience as expansion looms large
During a city hall event Thursday, West Sacramento’s mayor teased an upcoming announcement about the region’s efforts to officially pursue a Major League Baseball expansion team.
“It’s true,” Mayor Martha Guerrero told local government and business officials during an annual “State of the City” event. “West Sacramento is in dialogue to consider becoming a host to a Major League Baseball expansion team.”
The region would compete with other cities that have spent years vying for the league’s attention, and any decision by the MLB would be years away. The league’s commissioner has said he wants a process for expansion in place by the time he retires, expected in 2029.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty had signalled local leaders’ intentions to formally campaign for an expansion team during his own annual address in October, and has doubled down in the months since, declaring that an effort would launch this spring. The West Sacramento mayor’s comments signalled that that campaign may be imminent.
Guerrero told attendees to “stay tuned for that announcement next week.”
Guerrero’s remarks came during her annual “State of the City” address, where she hailed West Sacramento’s recent accomplishments. Among them, it received $43 million, the largest grant in the city’s history, toward building more than 100 new affordable housing units in the Grand Gateway project.
West Sacramento also established a special district to fund tourism and marketing, and its small business program has given more than $1 million in grants to more than 35 local businesses, Guerrero said.
West Sacramento has begun its second season as host to the Athletics — and its 27th season hosting the triple-A River Cats — with the two teams sharing the River Cats’ minor-league ballpark as the A’s prepare to relocate to Las Vegas.
“West Sacramento has proven to be a success at hosting major league baseball crowds,” Guerrero said. “And the buzz in the air around Sutter Health Park shows that the region is ready.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 2:58 PM.
