Dodgers-Angels rivalry highlights 2027 Spring slate as Kroenke era begins and Athletics’ Sacramento era ends
The Sporting Tribune
Host · Writer
PHOENIX — Major League Baseball announced its 2027 spring training schedule Friday, setting the stage for a season that will feature a new ownership era for the Los Angeles Angels and the Athletics’ expected final year in Sacramento before their move to Las Vegas.
All 30 teams will begin Cactus League or Grapefruit League play on Friday, Feb. 19, giving fans a full slate of games on the first day of spring training competition. The schedule will conclude with several exhibitions at major and minor league ballparks from March 20-23, including three consecutive games between the Dodgers and Angels in Southern California.
The Dodgers will host the Angels at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, March 21, before the Freeway Series moves to Angel Stadium for games on Monday, March 22, and Tuesday, March 23. The three-game exhibition series will serve as the final preparation for both teams before the 2027 regular season begins with an Opening Night game on Netflix on Wednesday, March 24.
The Dodgers and Angels will also meet twice in Arizona. The Dodgers will visit the Angels on Feb. 22 before hosting them on March 9, giving the Southern California rivals five spring meetings overall.
The Dodgers will open their Cactus League schedule against the Chicago White Sox on Feb. 19 at Camelback Ranch. Their early schedule also includes games against the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Angels, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Guardians, San Francisco Giants, Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers.
The 2027 season will be the Dodgers’ first full campaign following another abbreviated offseason for a franchise that has established itself as the standard in Major League Baseball. Their spring schedule includes two meetings with the Athletics, Feb. 26 on the road and March 19 at Camelback Ranch, along with several matchups against National League West opponents.
For the Angels, the schedule offers the first glimpse of a franchise expected to be operating under the control of Stan Kroenke and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. Kroenke reached a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling interest in the Angels from the Moreno family, with the transaction expected to close during the first quarter of 2027, pending MLB approval and other customary conditions. MLB reported that the sale is expected to become official early in the year.
The Angels will open spring training against the Milwaukee Brewers on Feb. 19 before playing their first home game against the Cleveland Guardians on Feb. 20. They will host the Dodgers two days later and face the Athletics for the first time on Feb. 27.
Kroenke’s arrival would begin a new chapter for a franchise that has missed the postseason every year since 2014. His sports portfolio includes the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids and Arsenal. The deal to purchase the Angels was announced Sept. 1 and is expected to end Arte Moreno’s ownership tenure, which began in 2003.
The Angels’ spring schedule also includes games against the Giants, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and White Sox. They will face the Athletics again on March 18 before concluding their Arizona schedule and returning to Southern California for the three-game Freeway Series.
The Athletics, meanwhile, will begin what is scheduled to be their final season based in Sacramento before relocating to Las Vegas in 2028. The franchise has played its home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento since leaving Oakland after the 2024 season.
The Athletics will open their Cactus League schedule against the Cubs on Feb. 19. They will face the Dodgers on Feb. 26 and March 19 and play the Angels on Feb. 27 and March 18. Their Arizona schedule is set to conclude against the Guardians on March 22.
The team’s agreement to play at Sutter Health Park covers the 2025 through 2027 seasons, with an option for 2028 if its Las Vegas stadium is not ready. The current plan calls for the Athletics to begin playing in Las Vegas in 2028. The Associated Press reported that the franchise selected Sacramento as its temporary home while awaiting completion of its new ballpark.
Sutter Health Park will also host a spring exhibition between the San Francisco Giants and the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats on March 21. The game will give Sacramento fans another major league attraction shortly before the Athletics begin their final scheduled season at the ballpark.
Other exhibitions announced for major league stadiums include the Giants hosting the Boston Red Sox at Oracle Park on March 22 and 23, the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals playing home-and-home games, and the Tampa Bay Rays hosting the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field.
The 2027 regular season will begin with a still-to-be-determined Opening Night matchup on Netflix on March 24. The traditional Opening Day schedule will feature 14 games on March 25, when NBC will also begin its 2027 coverage with a primetime game.
