Kotsay: Buehler rejected A's interest due to Sacramento move

The Athletics' early pitches about life in Sacramento don't appear to be popular with free agents.

During an appearance at the University of Southern California's Sports Business Association Summit on Thursday, A's manager Mark Kotsay revealed that the club had conversations with free-agent starter Walker Buehler. However, the skipper said that Buehler shot down the A's overtures because he didn't want to play in Sacramento, according to Kasey Kazliner of Annenberg Media.

The A's will call the Sacramento area home for the next three seasons while awaiting completion of their new ballpark in Las Vegas. They'll play at Sutter Health Park in the suburb of West Sacramento and share the venue with the Triple-A River Cats.

That the Sacramento experiment isn't going over well with players isn't a huge surprise. The idea of playing MLB games in a small minor-league facility is likely undesirable for many, especially in a city that won't be their long-term home. MLB-caliber clubhouses and facilities are being built to house the A's, but questions remain about just how equipped those facilities will be.

Day games in Sacramento's summer heat - temperatures regularly top 100 degrees in July and August - also won't help the team's cause. This issue was a particular concern for the players' union due to the A's initial plans for an artificial surface at Sutter Health Park. These concerns were somewhat placated when MLB agreed to use natural grass.

Buehler's sentiments about joining the A's in Sacramento appear to be commonplace around the league. Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Ryan Brasier hinted that the vagabond franchise might have better luck recruiting players had it remained in Oakland and used the aging Coliseum as an interim home.

"You have a - I'm not gonna say perfectly good stadium (in Oakland) - but you have a stadium," Brasier said on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. "And I know nobody shows up, but I'd rather play in a stadium with nobody than Sacramento."

Brasier continued: "You have to walk from the first-base dugout through the left-field fence to get to the visiting clubhouse (in Sacramento). (At least) it used to be (that way). And let's say, you know, (you) renovate it all and do some new stuff, but I think that is just complete B.S."

The A's called Oakland home for 56 seasons before officially becoming the first franchise to relocate three times. Sacramento-related branding will not be used by the franchise, which will play as simply the "Athletics" or "A's" until leaving for Las Vegas.