Why A’s believe improved baseball roster is built to win in Sacramento: ‘Everybody’s hungry’
Four Athletics players and manager Mark Kotsay took some time Monday afternoon in a downtown Sacramento ballroom to get familiar with their new surroundings.
Slugger Brent Rooker, outfielders JJ Bleday and Lawrence Butler, and starting pitcher JP Sears spent more than an hour making the rounds with reporters before they took in their first Sacramento Kings game as a group. They sat courtside for the game against the Miami Heat next to owner Vivek Ranadivé, who recently partnered with A’s owner John Fisher to make the team’s move to the capital region possible.
It was clear that while the organization is dealing with the fallout from their departure from Oakland — while not having their new ballpark in Las Vegas finalized — the players are optimistic about the possibilities of their immediate future in the capital region.
“I feel like it’ll be pretty easy because we’re all young,” Butler said about making the transition to Sacramento. “It’s not like any of us have a $100 million contract where we can just kind of be satisfied. We’re all trying to get to the next level in our careers.”
The A’s, of course, are famous for operating on a tight budget. The team had the lowest payroll in baseball last season at just over $62 million, $22 million less than the second-lowest Pittsburgh Pirates. Their roster is made up of far less experienced, less expensive players, than high-priced teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees.
“I feel like everybody’s hungry,” Butler said. “Even older guys, younger guys. Everybody’s hungry to get to that next level of their careers. And we all want to win. We all play for each other.”
The theme of compartmentalizing what’s been happening off the field has been common in the A’s clubhouse the last few seasons. Players have been forced to be the public faces answering questions about the team’s stadium uncertainty and the organization’s soured relationship with a substantial portion of its Bay Area fan base.
A’s embracing renovated Sutter Health Park
The next challenge is assimilating to life in a ballpark built for minor league baseball. The A’s will be calling Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento home for the next three years while they have an option for a fourth in 2028 should their $1.75 billion domed stadium in Las Vegas face delays. The ballpark will be one of the smallest in the big leagues, with just 10,000 permanent seats and a 14,000-person capacity thanks to a lawn area beyond the right field wall.
The only comparable situation is in Tampa Bay where the Rays will be playing in the New York Yankees’ spring training complex, Steinbrenner Field, after Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field in October. The Tampa facility has a capacity of just over 11,000. Otherwise, the smallest full-time Major League park is in Cleveland where Progressive Field fits just under 35,000.
But the ballpark was always an issue even during the most stable times in Oakland. The Oakland Coliseum was notorious for being run down with lackluster facilities. In many ways, the team and its fans over the years embraced the decrepit stadium as unique from the other modern, state-of-the-art ballparks throughout baseball.
Sutter Health Park will be small, but it won’t be out of date, according to the players who toured as renovations were underway this week.
“The locker rooms, the batting cages, the training rooms, those are big things that we use every day,” Bleday said. “To have them brand new and state of the art is huge. And I think it’s going to be a big upgrade from Oakland. Oakland was obviously an older stadium, but it’s going to be more close-knit. But I think it’s not really going to affect anyone.”
The playing surface became a topic of discussion over the summer when the A’s, MLB and the River Cats — which are owned by Ranadivé and the Kings — were considering installing an artificial turf surface to account for the wear and tear while the A’s and River Cats share the field. After some influential pro-player voices pushed back on the idea, the sides determined in October to stick with natural grass. A new field and irrigation system will be installed in time for the start of the A’s home opener March 31 against the Chicago Cubs.
“I was pumped,” said Bleday, who played 157 games in center field in 2024. “I think we all really pushed for natural grass. With the heat being out here — I never really got to experience the hot summer out here. But I’ve heard it gets pretty hot.
“That, and it’s easier on our bodies. Playing on natural grass is better for your joints. You absorb the impact a lot better. ... There’s definitely a difference on your body to play 80 games on turf compared to 80 games on natural grass.”
A’s boost roster with record spending
This offseason, the A’s have spent more on players than they have at any point in recent history. It started with landing projected ace starting pitcher Luis Severino on a three-year, $67 million contract. It was the largest in team history by $1 million over the $66 million deal given to Eric Chavez in 2004.
Hours after his blitz with the local media on Monday, the Athletic reported Rooker signed a five-year, $60 million extension. It included a vesting option for a sixth season that would pencil out to $90 million. It comes on the heels of an all-star campaign in which Rooker hit 39 home runs with 112 RBI. He finished 10th in MVP voting and earned the Silver Slugger nod as a designated hitter.
Playing in a far more hitter-friendly ballpark in warmer conditions could lead to another career season for the 30-year-old.
“I think just continuing to learn,” Rooker said when asked about replicating his production last season, hours before news of his new contract broke. “I think improvement at the margins is kind of where we’re looking. If I can be 1 or 2 percent better in one or two areas than I was last year, then I’ll have accomplished my goal and I’ll be as productive as I was last year.”
Rooker catalyzed the A’s offense with 11 home runs in July while the team went 32-32 in the season’s second half. With Rooker locked up, Severino potentially anchoring the rotation and the addition of former Rays left-hander Jeffrey Springs, the A’s believe they could offer the fans in Sacramento a winning product and be more than just a short-term sports novelty.
“We have really, really good players, and I think that’s how it’s going to carry over,” Rooker said. “Our roster is even better now than it was with the improvements and additions that we’ve made. And we just have a ton of confidence in the group that we have on the field. And we’re excited about that.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 7:56 AM.
