As the Toronto Blue Jays continue their search for a new 2020 home, the Buffalo Bisons have expressed a willingness to do what they can to help accommodate the team’s needs.
Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi noted on Saturday, after news broke that the Blue Jays had not received federal government approval to host games in Toronto, that significant infrastructure upgrades would be needed at Sathlen Field, home of the Bisons, for the Blue Jays to play there — particularly in terms of clubhouse spacing to meet MLB COVID-19 protocols and lighting.
“The Bisons organization has been in discussion with the Blue Jays for several days about the possibility of hosting Major League games at Sahlen Field this summer,” Mike Buczkowski, president of the Rich Baseball operations, wrote in a statement obtained by Matthew Bove of Eyewitness News Buffalo. “We are continuing to explore the best ways to adapt the available spaces in our ballpark to meet the needs of the Blue Jays.”
Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro cautioned on Saturday that playing in Buffalo, though a viable alternative to Toronto or Dunedin, was not a done deal.
In their statement, the Bisons made clear that, at this time, no decision has been made on where the Blue Jays will play next season.
“I’m 100 per cent confident we’ll have some clarity on those [options] in the next couple of days,” Shapiro said Saturday. “And I’m 100 per cent confident we’ll be in the best possible situation that satisfies player health and competitiveness when we start our season.”
