Sacramento launches campaign for MLB expansion team

Sacramento is officially pursuing an MLB expansion team.

As part of a campaign dubbed "the Sacramento Pitch," key leaders from the area announced their intentions to land an MLB team. The pitch includes nearly $2 billion in funding and a ballpark rendering.

"This expansion process will be long," Sacramento mayor Kevin McCarty said during a press conference Thursday. "It'll be competitive, be hard - it won't be easy. But one thing is certain: Sacramento is MLB ready. We're not just ready to compete for a team but to win a team. And we're proving it every day as a temporary home to the Athletics just down the street."

Mark Friedman, the chairman of Fulcrum Property, revealed that the group acquired 50 acres for an MLB stadium and waterfront district. He also said that the leaders have secured commitments of $1.8 billion in public and private investment.

Sacramento has been temporarily housing the Athletics at Sutter Health Park since 2025. The club is slated to move to Las Vegas in 2028.

"This region has earned its place in the major leagues," McCarty added. "Frankly, MLB could use Sacramento. We're one of the largest and fastest growing markets in the western United States. Yet despite this growth, Sacramento remains the largest media market in America with only one professional sports franchise."

The Sacramento Kings of the NBA are the only major sports franchise permanently based in the region. The Sacramento River Cats, a minor-league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League, calls the area home as well.

The MLB hasn't officially begun the process of looking for an expansion team. The league last expanded in 1998 with the additions of the Arizona Diamondbacks and then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

"When Major League Baseball is ready to expand, Sacramento will be ready to compete, and we'll be ready to win," Friedman said.