Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A source confirms for WBEN what was reported Thursday by The Buffalo News that the Buffalo Bisons are expected to shift the opening of their season to Trenton, New Jersey, making way for the Toronto Blue Jays to move their season to Sahlen Field.
The Bisons on Friday made the move official, announcing that the team, along with the Blue Jays have undertaken a jointly-funded renovation to prepare Sahlen Field for MLB regular season home games. The upgrades include moving the bullpens off the field and behind the outfield walls, building new batting cages, and new weight room and renovated clubhouse facilities.
"We very much enjoyed having the Blue Jays call the great city of Buffalo their home last season and the potential for doing so again, this time with fans, is an extremely exciting possibility," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in a statement. "I applaud the Buffalo Bisons and Toronto Blue Jays organizations for privately funding these major improvements to our city's ballpark so that Sahlen Field can continue to be a great community asset for many years to come."
The Bisons in a statement said that season ticket holders and fans with credits from the 2020 season will receive official communication from the team in the next few days outlining the several flexible options available to them for the upcoming season.
The Blue Jays have been playing outside of their home in Toronto since the beginning of the COVID pandemic and closure of the US-Canadian border.
Before their season began, the Blue Jays expected to split the home portion of this year's regular-schedule among their spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida, their Triple-A ballpark in Buffalo, and potentially the Rogers Center in Toronto.
Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said in February a return to Buffalo is a likely option in June because of the heat and humidity in Florida. He hopes for games in Toronto at some point during the summer.
"The alternatives for our season lie with some combination of Dunedin, Buffalo and Toronto," Shapiro said.
The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo and were 17-9 at Sahlen Field, home of their Buffalo Bisons Triple-A farm team. The Canadian government didn't allow the team to play at home because of the risk of spreading COVID-19, citing frequent travel required in the U.S. during a baseball season
Shapiro said he didn't ask the Canadian government to start the season in Toronto because public health has not yet improved sufficiently.
Toronto last played at 49,000-capacity Rogers Centre on Sept. 29, 2019, an 8-3 win over Tampa Bay.
"That's where we want to be," Shapiro said. "It's going to be clear to all of us whether the circumstances present a meaningful and healthy case for us to get back home."
