Athletics’ Nick Kurtz loses his helmet as he watches the flight of his single against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of a spring training baseball game, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Phoenix.

The new MLB season is right around the corner, and yet all signs show that the hype for another year of Athletics baseball in West Sacramento couldn’t be lower.

From a neutral’s perspective, the A’s have arguably the worst reputation in the sport. The team’s ownership not only scorned a dedicated fan base in the pursuit of the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas, they uprooted the team before the organization’s Vegas home was even built, leaving them in capital city limbo. Even with a temporary home in West Sacramento — one that drew criticism from across the majors — the A’s did little to embrace the city, upsetting another collection of sports fans and kicking off........

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