Sacramento A’s podcast Tony Renteria: A’s-Tigers open up 3 game series in Detroit tonight

Sacramento A’s starter Luis Severino is the starting pitcher against the Detroit Tigers on Tue Jun 24, 2025 at Comerica Park in Detroit. Here is Severino pitching against the Kansas City Royals on Fri Jun 13, 2025 at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast Tony Renteria:

#1 Last game for the Sacramento A’s they were shutout by starter Slade Ceccone of Cleveland Guardians 3-0. Ceccone went a career seven innings allowing six hits, a walk, in his seventh start of the season.

#2 The Guardians jumped to a 2-0 lead against A’s starter JP Sears when Angel Martinez walked and stole second base then scored on Gabriel Arias’ base hit. The Nolan Jones scored Arias on a double. Making it 2-0.

#3 The Guardians Steve Kwan got aboard on a base hit and scored on a David Fry base hit and the Guardians did all the damage for the game coming away with a 3-0 win.

#4 For starter Sears pitched five innings allowing seven hits, three earned runs, two walks, striking out five. Tough loss for Sears whose had some good outings this season.

#5 A’s open a road trip in Detroit Tuesday night starting pitcher for Sacramento Luis Severino (2-7 ERA 4.42) and for Detroit one of baseball’s best pitchers the reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal (8-2 ERA 2.06).

Tony Renteria does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Does Anybody Care about the A’s in Sacramento?

The Sacramento A’s have not sold out a game yet in the 2025 season since their home opener on Mon Mar 31, 2025. Sutter Health Park’s capacity is 14,014 the A’s highest season attendance is 12,119 at the home opener. (tripvisor.com photo)

Does Anybody Care about the A’s in Sacramento?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Let’s say you have your eyes on that brand new car you dream of, and you are “almost sure” you are going to buy it in 2028 because you just put your other car (Soccer Team)for sale, but in the meantime, you need another vehicle.

For the A’s owner, West Sacramento Sutter Health Park, it’s like leasing an Avis car for a couple of years, hoping to buy a brand-new car in a few years in Las Vegas. You do not care much for maintaining the Avis lease; you are only interested in being practical, since you are not going to buy it anyway.

Sacramento’s 15 minutes of Major League fame have been cut to 5 minutes, all the hype a month before the season was more “sizzle than steak:”, in the stadium, they call it “all foam no beer” and in the cattle areas of California, “All hat no cattle”.

The A’s announced in January that Opening Day tickets were sold out, despite offering $25 lawn seats the night of the game. The team announced a sold-out crowd of 12,119 fans at the home opener. However, team officials said Sutter Health Park’s total capacity is 13,416.

The Oakland A’s fans in Sacramento (the number is unknown) are disappointed by the team’s temporary move to Sutter Health Park, expressing feelings of betrayal and a sense of disconnection from the team in its new temporary home.

They miss the Oakland atmosphere and feel the team is not embracing Sacramento. Some Sacramento fans, however, are excited to have a Major League team in their city, even if it’s just for a temporary period, but the team also couldn’t care less about Sacramento.

To the best of my knowledge, the A’s are not even recognized by the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, or the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce. Neither did the A’s approach them.

However, if you’re interested, you can still follow the A’s games in Sacramento on sportsradioservice.com, which covers all the team’s day-to-day activities with reporters in the Sacramento area.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

@Central Park Fremont – Fremont CA

http://goaquaadventure.com

A’s Relocation podcast Rich Perez: Shovels in the ground; How crucial is the Earthquakes sale to raise stadium money?

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, from left, Major League Baseball Commissioner Manfred, A’s owner John Fisher and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill watch a video during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Athletics $1.75 billion Strip ballpark at the site of the former Tropicana Las Vegas Monday, June 23, 2025. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

On the A’s Relocation podcast with Rich Perez:

#1 Lots speeches made at the Sacramento A’s and future Las Vegas A’s ground breaking at the former Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

#2 Amongst some of the speakers John Fisher who stated that he was excited to get this far to having shovels in the ground and that he thanked MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for help making the relocation of the A’s a reality.

#3 Fisher was asked about the sale of his MLS soccer team the San Jose Earthquakes and how that sale will make the difference in paying for the new A’s Las Vegas stadium and help make up for Fisher’s share of the construction costs at $1.75 billion.

#4 Was there any questions raised regarding regret that the A’s had left Oakland or was this a total turn the page event and it was never brought up and it’s onto the next step in developing the Las Vegas ballpark and bringing Major League Baseball.

#5 Manfred had a chance to speak and wanted address what he wanted in getting the A’s a new ballpark something he had been working on since he took over as baseball commissioner.

Rich Perez is a Las Vegas podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason: A’s open road trip in Detroit on Tuesday night

Sacramento A’s catcher Willie MacIver (65) tries to put the tag on Cleveland Guardians runner Steven Kwan (38) in the top of the fifth inning at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sun Jun 22, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason:

#1 Cleveland Slade Cecconi pitched seven innings his longest this season. Emmanuel Clase got out of a bases loaded situation in the ninth inning as the Guardians hung on to beat the Sacramento A’s to take the three game series Sunday.

#2 The A’s Tyler Soderstrom and JJ Bleday got a walk and singles off Clase as the bases were loaded as Clase got out of it for his second straight save for his 28th save.

#3 A’s starter JP Sears continues to struggle for Sacramento allowing three runs, seven hits, in five innings. Sears drops his record to 1-5 in his last eight starts.

#4 The A’s head to Detroit on Tuesday night starting pitcher for Sacramento RHP Luis Severino (2-7 ERA 4.42) for Detroit LHP Tarik Skubal (8-2 ERA 2.06) Skubal is the current AL Cy Young Award winner

Join Barbara Mason for the A’s podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Sears Battles but A’s Offense Goes Quiet in 3-0 Loss

Jack Perkins (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO —  It was the rubber game of a three-game series between the A’s and Guardians on Sunday afternoon at Sutter Health Park. The A’s won the first game of the series but dropped the final two, falling 3-0 on Sunday.

JP Sears wasn’t sharp for the A’s, but he managed to keep things close and the Athletics within striking distance all game. Sears tossed five innings of seven-hit, three-run ball, walking two and striking out five. Despite the loss, Sears saw positives in his outing.

“One of those outings where I felt like I handled the game okay—I just let a couple of those lefties get away from me a little bit,” Sears said. “A lot better command than my last outing, a lot better fastballs than my last outing, so those are the positives that I’ll take. But, ya know, it’s an L on the card, and I could have done a little bit better today.”

“He battled, right?” manager Mark Kotsay said of Sears. “I thought he did a decent job, like you said, of keeping us in the game, managing the game. Five innings and scattered around seven hits and three runs. Obviously for JP, those are the starts that we need. Offensively, we gotta provide some help for him.”

Meanwhile, the A’s bullpen was lights out. Sears was relieved by Tyler Ferguson, who tossed a scoreless inning without allowing a hit and struck out two. The highlight of the day for the A’s staff, however, was Jack Perkins making his big league debut. Perkins tossed three scoreless innings and gave up only one hit. It was a magnificent debut, something echoed by Kotsay.

“He looked really under control for a debut right there. That’s a pretty good landing spot for him. Obviously, you want to try and create those, but you never know if that’s going to happen. Those are the types of outings that we need from the bullpen to try and give us a chance.”

Perkins was elated with his performance, speaking postgame about how the outing felt.

“I kept telling myself all day—and the last couple of days since I’ve known—that it’s just sixty feet, six inches. The game doesn’t change. It might be a bigger stadium, it might be a bigger atmosphere, a bigger platform, but the game is the game. Just going out, executing my plan. Like I said pregame, having that bulldog mentality and just throwing my best stuff.”

Offensively, the A’s struggled against Guardians starter Slade Cecconi, who tossed seven shutout innings and kept Sacramento’s hitters off balance all afternoon. The A’s best scoring chance came in the bottom of the ninth when they loaded the bases with one out. But pinch hitter Max Muncy struck out, and Lawrence Butler grounded out to end the game. The A’s couldn’t push a run across.

With the loss, the A’s fell to 32-48 on the year. They’ll have an off day Monday in Detroit before beginning a three-game series against the Tigers. On Tuesday, Luis Severino (2-7, 4.42 ERA) will start for the A’s, countered by Tarik Skubal (8-2, 2.06 ERA) for the Tigers.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Augie Messenburg: Will Quakes sale be enough to cover A’s Las Vegas stadium costs?

Construction starts on the new Athletics ballpark as crews drill caissons for the foundation and grinding rock piles on the former Tropicana site on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review Journal)  

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Augie Messenburg:

#1 Sacramento A’s and San Jose Earthquakes owner John Fisher who announced last week that the MLS Soccer Earthquakes would be up for sale for $540 to $600 million to cover the overages on the construction costs for the Las Vegas stadium.

#2 It was reported that Fisher could fall short of his asking price. If so he badly needs to cover anything outside of the first billion dollars to get his share of the construction costs covered at about 750 million dollars.

#3 According to Sprotico who does sale price evaluations the team is valued at $600 million. Fisher has hired the Galatioto Sports firm to help find investors to help toward the $500 that will make up the shortfall to pay for the construction costs. The State of Nevada through public funding bill SB1 will contribute $350 million.

#4 Fisher bought the Quakes from the Anschutz Entertainment Group. Anschutz was planning to move the Quakes in 2005 and become the Houston Dynamo. Fisher bout the team in 2007 as a expansion franchise and later built Avaya Stadium in 2015 adding to the value of the franchise.

#5 The sale of the Quakes is a race against the clock of sorts. Fisher is groundbreaking the Las Vegas location for the A’s on Monday morning at the old Tropicana location and yet questions are still being asked if he got the money to cover the construction costs.

Augie Mesenburg filled in for Daniel Dullum on the Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.

Frustration Mounts as A’s Come Up Short 4-2 Despite Late Push

Cleveland Guardians right hand pitcher LL Ortiz pitches into the second inning against the Sacramento A’s at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sat June 21, 2025 (AP News photo)

Frustration Mounts as A’s Come Up Short 4-2 Despite Late Push

By Mauricio Segura

WEST SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Athletics’ recent surge was put on ice Saturday night as a slow start and early defensive miscues led to a 4–2 loss against the Cleveland Guardians at Sutter Health Park. After winning six of their last eight games, the A’s were looking to build momentum, but a costly second inning and an anemic offense through most of the night left them chasing a game that was all but decided before the sun set.

Right-hander Mitch Spence took the mound for Sacramento riding a string of impressive outings, having allowed just two earned runs over his last three starts. But this one unraveled quickly. The trouble started in the top of the second when Daniel Schneemann lined out to right, followed by a walk to Nolan Jones.

Then came a sharp double to center off the bat of Bo Naylor, who not only drove in the game’s first run but advanced to third on a wild throw from Luis Urías. That error opened the floodgates. Johnathan Rodríguez followed with an RBI double, Angel Martínez grounded out to move him to third, and Steven Kwan singled him home.

By the time José Ramírez notched his 900th career RBI with a single to center, Cleveland had built a 4-0 lead before Spence could escape the inning.

Spence managed to hold Cleveland scoreless over his final three innings and finished with five innings pitched, allowing seven hits and four earned runs while striking out three. It was a gritty performance, but the damage had been done. His effort was backed by a strong showing from the bullpen as T.J. McFarland, Sean Newcomb, and Hogan Harris combined for four shutout innings with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed.

The A’s, meanwhile, couldn’t figure out Guardians starter Luis Ortiz, who baffled hitters for six innings, striking out ten while scattering just four hits and two walks. Sacramento’s best chance came early in the second when Max Muncy reached on a throwing error and Tyler Soderstrom singled to move him to third. But a strikeout from JJ Bleday, a lineout by Urías, and a flyout from Austin Wynns ended the inning with no damage.

Tensions boiled over in the sixth when Lawrence Butler, who had already struck out twice, was called out looking again and was promptly ejected after voicing his frustration. His exit triggered a chain of defensive shuffles. Denzel Clarke took over in center field, JJ Bleday moved to left, and Brent Rooker slid over to right. Butler’s absence was felt, especially as the A’s tried to rally late.

Sacramento finally broke through in the seventh. After a walk by Bleday and a single by Urías, Austin Wynns roped a double to right that brought in Bleday and gave the A’s a flicker of hope. But it was quickly doused when Clarke struck out and Wilson lined out to end the inning. Rooker brought the crowd to life again in the eighth with a triple to deep center, and Muncy followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to two. Still, the rally fell short as Soderstrom lined out to end the frame.

Emmanuel Clase came in to close things out for Cleveland in the ninth and made quick work of the A’s. Bleday grounded out, Urías lined out sharply to left, and Wynns grounded out to third to seal the loss. The A’s finished the night with just two runs on seven hits, going one for nine with runners in scoring position and leaving six men stranded.

With the loss, Sacramento dropped to 32 and 47 on the season and missed a chance to gain ground in the AL West. While they remain just one game behind the fourth-place Angels, the frustration of yet another game lost due to early defensive lapses and late offensive sputtering was clear. The team is now four and 24 when being out-homered and continues to struggle in close games decided by two runs or fewer.

The A’s will look to avoid losing the series and get back on track Sunday afternoon as lefty JP Sears (5-6 ERA 5.45) takes the hill against Cleveland’s Slade Cecconi (2-3 ERA 4.15). With a nine-game road trip looming, including stops in Detroit, New York, and Tampa Bay, the A’s need to rediscover the rhythm that briefly gave fans hope they could crawl out of the AL West cellar.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.

Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson: Quality starts key to A’s recent wins; Kurtz hits home run for third straight game

Sacramento A’s Nick Kurtz hits a two run home run in the bottom of the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Fri Jun 20, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Sacramento A’s pitcher Jefferey Springs had a quality start going 7.1 innings allowing three hits striking out six and walking a batter. The 7.1 innings for Springs was his longest start for the season.

#2 A’s rookie Nick Kurtz is on a homer hot streak hitting the big fly for his third straight game his tenth of the season as the A’s beat the Cleveland Guardian on Friday night 5-1 at Sutter Health Park.

#3 The A’s got the pitching from Springs and it was the good pitching that beat the good hitting holding the Guardians to only four hits. The A’s have now won three of their last five games and after suffering a number of losing streaks have the A’s found their way out of it yet.

#4 The A’s also got some offense early that helped in the winning cause scoring two runs in the first inning and once in the second inning to jump on the Guardians starter Tanner Biebee who went the distance pitching eight innings, allowing 11 hits and four runs.

#5 The Guardians and the A’s are back at it again tonight at 7:05pm at Sutter Health. For the Guardians RHP LL Ortiz (3-8 ERA 4.64) for the Athletics RHP Mitch Spence (2-1 ERA 3.50) can Spence deliver that good pitching that can beat good hitting for Sacramento tonight?

Jeremiah Salmonson is a Sacramento A’s beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kurtz Power Surge Lifts A’s to Commanding 5-1 Win Over Cleveland

Sacramento A’s starter Jeffery Springs delivers to the Cleveland Guardians line up in the top of the first inning at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Fri June 20, 2025 (AP News photo)

Kurtz Power Surge Lifts A’s to Commanding 5-1 Win Over Cleveland

By Mauricio Segura

WEST SACRAMENTO–The green and gold wasted no time lighting up the Sacramento night, riding a thunderous first-inning blast from Nick Kurtz and a sharp outing from Jeffrey Springs to a 5-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Sutter Health Park. In front of a lively Friday crowd, the A’s snapped Cleveland’s rhythm with early offense and crisp defense, stretching their win total to 32 while tightening their grip on a promising homestand.

Kurtz, who came into the night tied for second among MLB rookies in home runs, continued his torrid pace. After Brent Rooker kept the inning alive with a two-out single, Kurtz deposited a Tanner Bibee fastball deep into the left-center night for his tenth homer of the season, giving the A’s a 2-0 lead. It marked Kurtz’s fourth home run in five games and eighth hit in his last 20 at-bats. Even more impressively, five of his homers have come in the seventh inning or later, a league-leading total.

In support of the slugging first baseman, the A’s strung together a mix of timely hitting and Cleveland miscues in the second. Tyler Soderstrom reached on a sharp single, Luis Urías advanced on an error, and another miscue allowed Soderstrom to reach third. Lawrence Butler then punched a single through the right side to score Soderstrom, making it 3-0. Jacob Wilson grounded into a double play to end the threat, but the damage was already done.

Springs, meanwhile, turned in a vintage performance on the mound, continuing a string of strong starts from the Athletics rotation. He pitched six scoreless innings, scattering hits and avoiding damage even when José Ramírez doubled in the fourth. Springs held the Guardians to just one run across his start, extending the rotation’s stretch of holding opponents to two runs or fewer in 11 of the last 12 games. For Springs, it was his third straight outing of at least six innings, showing signs of midseason form after a rocky May.

The A’s tacked on insurance in the seventh and eighth. In the seventh, Denzel Clarke and Butler each singled, then Jacob Wilson laced a line drive to left, scoring Clarke and moving Butler to third. An errant throw by Steven Kwan allowed Wilson to take second. In the eighth, Tyler Soderstrom, who had snapped an 0-for-9 streak earlier, singled again and promptly stole second base. Urías followed with a base hit to center, bringing Soderstrom around for the fifth and final run.

Cleveland finally cracked the scoreboard in the top of the eighth with a solo home run from Angel Martínez, but that was all the visitors could manage. Mason Miller slammed the door in the ninth, overpowering Daniel Schneemann with a strikeout to end it. Miller, who now has 46 strikeouts in just 27.2 innings, notched his 15th save and continued to rank among the elite relievers in strikeout rate.

The Athletics are now 9-6 over their last 15 games and have won six of their last eight, showing resilience after a brutal early season stretch. They have also improved to 17-6 when out-homering their opponent. Despite sitting in fifth place in the AL West, the team’s offense ranks ninth in batting average and sixth in extra-base hits, while the rotation has started to stabilize.

The A’s will look to keep the momentum rolling Saturday night when right-hander Mitch Spence (2-1, 3.50 ERA) takes the hill against Cleveland’s Luis Ortiz (3-8, 4.64 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times

⚡Craft cocktails? Check. ��Game-day bites? Oh yeah. ��️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

��Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB Team for Sale

Tampa Bay Rays future ballpark renderings. Construction will start this year. The park is scheduled to be ready opening day 2028 (Tampa Bay Rays renderings)

MLB Team for Sale

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Unfortunately, for those real Athletics fans who are here in the Bay Area, the team is not the A’s. Sorry to give you the bad news. The Tampa Bay Rays are now officially for sale, after Major League Baseball put a lot of pressure on their owner.

Patrick Pulaski, a developer from Jacksonville who signed a letter of intent to purchase the Rays (according to Sportico) and the New York Times for around $1,7 billion Unlike the ATH, who have no choice but to play at the Minor League Sutter Health Park at West Sacramento, for at least 2027, maybe more, the Tampa Bay Rays, who are playing at Hal Streinbrener Stadium in Tampa, with only 10,000 capacity, the Spring Training Home of the New York Yankees, the Rays are expected to move to their regular home, Tropicana Field next season.

The Tampa City Council approved $22.5 million for a Teflon-coated fiberglass roof. Hurricane Milton in 2024 caused the damage. The Tampa Bay Rays are typically at the bottom of MLB teams in payroll and attendance, alongside the Miami Marlins and the Athletics; however, the Rays operate a much better front office than most of these ‘bottom dweller’ teams (including the A’s), despite having a very similar payroll.

Example. Currently, this season, the Rays’ payroll is $88 million. Yet, they are in second place behind the New York Yankees ($289 million payroll) by a couple of games in the mighty American League East, while the Athletics are in last place with a payroll of $77 million.

Over the past five seasons, the Rays have consistently finished with a competitive and sometimes winning record, despite having a smaller payroll, unlike the Athletics, who have not achieved such a feat recently. The Tampa Bay Rays have a reputation for excellent scouting, player development, drafting players, and starting pitching, which has kept them very competitive in comparison to the other two lowest teams in payroll and attendance, the Miami Marlins and the ATH of Sacramento.

Moneyball, a few years ago, did not win any Oscars, but was a decent film. However, the concept of Moneyball is no longer working for the A’s, as the data-driven approach to evaluating players that emphasizes using statistical analysis and other methods that made Bill Beane famous is no longer practical. Beane was the Oakland A’s General Manager from 1979 to 2015—Adiós to Moneyball. All success in business comes from the top.”

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” – Babe Ruth

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com