A new era begins for the Oakland A’s — not in Oakland and not yet in Las Vegas, but in Sacramento. The franchise enters a strange but defining chapter at Sutter Health Park: a team without a city in its name, playing in a Triple-A ballpark, caught somewhere between its complicated past and an uncertain future. For the fans in Sacramento, it’s a test of loyalty, patience, and identity. However, can the fans drive 86 miles to the new location, proving their loyalty?

The Rangers broadcaster, Dave Raymond, doesn’t think so. “Why can’t they be the Sacramento A’s for a couple of years? What is that hurt? It’s just dismissive.”

Raymond took a no-holds-barred approach, describing the A’s Sacramento stadium woes. It is surprising that despite the Athletics not playing anymore in Oakland and being supposed to have Sacramento as their home ground, the club is still using the A’s as their official name, barring any mention of the latter!

Reportedly, for the next several seasons, the team will call West Sacramento home. But don’t call them the Sacramento A’s. The franchise insists on being known simply as the Athletics — cityless, floating. It’s surely dismissive considering how the Sutter Health Park has been renovated from a Triple-A stadium to an MLB-grade field. So, the A’s are nothing but a franchise in transition, trying to hold onto its identity while everything around it shifts.

“Homeless A’s,” Raymond added.

“To be honest with you, there was all this talk about how it was gonna be sold out here every night…it hasn’t been close.” During the live coverage of the game between the A’s and Rangers, Raymond couldn’t help but say something about the half-empty stands in Sacramento.

The A’s did their best to hype the move to Sacramento, touting strong demand and a fresh start. Back in January, the team announced it had sold out its full allotment of season tickets — about 6,000 seats — and weeks later, officials said that single-game ticket sales had been “just incredible.” But when opening week finally arrived, it was a more complicated story. Tickets for the home opener were still available on game day — including $25 lawn seats — a surprising sight for a supposedly sold-out debut.

Sure, the stadium was technically full. But when nearly 10% of the seats are giveaways or steeply discounted, that “full house” starts to feel more manufactured than magical. Moreover, the A’s on-field performance is also not worthy enough for the fans to drive from Oakland.

The A’s on-field woes are no less than their off-field saga

Standing at 12-13 in late April, fourth place in the AL West, the A’s aren’t exactly turning heads, but for those who’ve stuck through the storm, this modest record feels oddly encouraging. Why? Because the A’s were knee-deep with 122-loss and 93-loss seasons in the last two years. The Coliseum echoed with the empty clinks of foul balls and frustrated silence as fans watched familiar faces disappear one by one in a mass exodus of talent that defined the post-2021 rebuild.

That 2021 squad, with its 86 wins and glimpses of postseason grit, now feels like a distant memory. What followed was a dismantling. Remember Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, and Chris Bassitt — the core that had kept the A’s scrappy and dangerous? They were stripped away as part of the new buildup. Payroll slashed. Attendance plummeted. Rumors of relocation to Las Vegas dominated headlines more than anything on the field.

And yet, here we are.

Twelve wins into the 2025 season, and the A’s are—dare we say—interesting. Not good. Not bad. But interesting. The rotation, once a revolving door of waiver claims and Triple-A call-ups, is beginning to solidify around arms like Joe Boyle (7 SOs), who’s finally showing the consistency to match his potential. However, behind him, the bullpen is a ticking time bomb, ranked #26 in the league in terms of ERA (4.46).

So, let’s take a brutally honest route. It’s difficult to offer a better proposition to the fans from Oakland to cheer the team up here in Sacramento. What do you think?