Blue Jays Discussion: Off-season Pt II: It's the off-season in November!... Wait. That's normal for baseball.

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TheTotalPackage

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I was never a fan but the guy had passion for his job and he showed up everyday. Sad day for him indeed. Hopefully he lands on his feet.


I absolutely despised Wilner and hardly ever agreed with his thoughts and sentiments. But he was a fixture on the radio broadcasts all this time, so yeah, it'll be a little weird not hearing his voice on Blue Jays broadcasts.
 

Suntouchable13

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I don’t know if you guys have been discussing this but which sites would they be looking at here for a new stadium? They can’t just tear down the dome and relocate the Jays for several years, can they?
 

LeafChief

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I don’t know if you guys have been discussing this but which sites would they be looking at here for a new stadium? They can’t just tear down the dome and relocate the Jays for several years, can they?
That's kind of what they're proposing. Either that or a waterfront stadium.
 

Suntouchable13

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That's kind of what they're proposing. Either that or a waterfront stadium.

I guess that’s the problem with Toronto. If they want to keep the team downtown, then there is not many options other than tearing the dome and building on the site. Relocating the team would be horrible at this stage, though.
 

LeafChief

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I guess that’s the problem with Toronto. If they want to keep the team downtown, then there is not many options other than tearing the dome and building on the site. Relocating the team would be horrible at this stage, though.
If hindsight was 20/20 (it's obviously not), they could have started this at the end of the 2019 season and been over a year into the construction project already. Jays are likely not playing in Toronto next year either.

The stadium portion could have been just about ready for a 2022 season when hopefully COVID is in the past.
 
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Cor

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I don’t know if you guys have been discussing this but which sites would they be looking at here for a new stadium? They can’t just tear down the dome and relocate the Jays for several years, can they?

That would be the plan. However they do have a backup waterfront spot if necessary.

One of the writers mentioned on Twitter that the Jays could try and do what the Cards and Reds did, and build around the existing stadium as much as possible, before demolishing the current stadium and finishing the overlapping parts.
 

dredeye

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Saw some stuff online about how it would happen.

Basically they'll start building the new stadium just south of Rogers Centre (the plan includes the parking lot/storage areas south of Bremner) and they should be able to have it ready to the point where they can knock down the old stadium and build the rest of the new one in one offseason.

Its a bit ambitious but its been done with other stadiums before.
Is there enough room south of Bremner to fit a stadium. Ive been there a ton and there really doesn’t seem to be enough depth to build there.
 

hockeywiz542

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Rogers Centre faces demolition as Blue Jays owner plans new stadium - The Globe and Mail

Rogers Communications Inc. and the real estate arm of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. are working with city, provincial and federal government officials on a plan that would effectively cut the Rogers Centre in half.

The partners would build a new, baseball-focused stadium on the foundations of the southern end of the current facility and adjacent parking lots. The northern portion of the 12.7-acre site would be turned into residential towers, office buildings, stores and public space.

Rogers is also considering building a new stadium on a lakefront site if plans for the Rogers Centre fall through.
On Thursday, Rogers chief communications officer Sevaun Palvetzian said: “Prior to the pandemic, we were exploring options for the stadium but through this year our primary focus has been keeping our customers connected and employees safe, so there is no update on the Rogers Centre to share at this time.”

...................

For Rogers, turning a stadium into condos and other developments would allow the company to cash in on a lucrative investment, while creating a better experience for baseball fans – the Jays are expected to move from artificial turf to natural grass.

While the priority for Rogers is a new ballpark near the existing stadium – the approach taken by teams such as the New York Yankees – the sources said the company is also looking at waterfront sites such as the 12-acre Quayside property where Google affiliate Sidewalk Labs abandoned plans to build a smart-city project.


Rogers bought the Jays 20 years ago for US$137-million. Since arriving three years ago, chief executive Joe Natale has frequently talked about raising money or restructuring Rogers with steps that force investors to recognize the value of its holdings.

The Rogers Centre and the Jays are now worth at least US$1.6-billion, according to analyst Adam Shine at National Bank Financial, while the company has a stake in Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors parent Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment worth US$1.9-billion.

“What does the market think about these investments? Nothing,” Mr. Shine said in a report. “Rogers either gets no credit or a materially discounted consideration for these assets.”

Redeveloping the Rogers Centre would allow the company to potentially make more money from its real estate holding at a time when it is spending $2.8-billion annually to upgrade its internet and cable networks and roll out 5G telecom services.

One source familiar with the partnership between Rogers and Brookfield said one option under discussion is the telecom company will put up its lease on the stadium, while Brookfield shoulders development costs. Rebuilding the stadium is expected to play out over five to eight years.
 
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Woodman19

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What an exciting Jays offseason so far. Wilner out, new Stadium in the works, rumored to be in hot for all major free agents. Think you all need to eat crow with Shapiro, he's been a God send to this organization.
 

dredeye

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What an exciting Jays offseason so far. Wilner out, new Stadium in the works, rumored to be in hot for all major free agents. Think you all need to eat crow with Shapiro, he's been a God send to this organization.
Maybe not all of us need to eat crow lol.
 

phillipmike

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Blue Jays off-season FAQ: Rogers Centre replacement far from a done deal

On Springer and Brantley:
That impacts the market for another Blue Jays target in George Springer, with whom they’ve progressed beyond just talking. Same thing with Michael Brantley, but while his left-handed bat and offensive profile are perfect for the batting order, how he fits defensively is less seamless.

On Pitching Acquisitions:
Trevor Bauer is the obvious big ticket, but right now they seem more fixated on position players than pitchers. Not to get repetitive, but my sense is they’d like to nail down their lineup adds, figure out what’s staying, and then trade to get pitching help. They must feel like some teams will need to off-load arms eventually (Texas with Lance Lynn, or Cincinnati with Sonny Gray, perhaps).

On the Asian Market:
The Asian market is another opportunity here, with right-handers Tomoyuki Sugano of the Yomiuri Giants and Kohei Arihara of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to be posted. The signing of Shun Yamaguchi last off-season was done partly to build a bridge into the Japanese market, with an eye towards the class of players available this winter. Sugano and Arihara are both intriguing, but the real prize could be Kodai Senga of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, if he’s posted.

On Lindor
I’ve had several people tell me that the Blue Jays really want him. Well, duh. Who wouldn’t? As perfect as LeMahieu is for them, Lindor is even more perfect, even if he pushes Bo Bichette off of short. This one is complicated, though, both because of the acquisition cost in trade, but also with his pending free agency. The ongoing lack of clarity about what it would take to re-sign him is a big yellow light here and my sense is the Blue Jays won’t meet Cleveland’s price without knowing if they can extend him.
 

TF97

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One of just three Blue Jays pitchers to throw an immaculate inning, with Delabar and Clemens owning the other two. I was a bit surprised the way that Pannone was handled this past season but he’s not a huge loss, just thought the organization valued him as a depth piece over a few others. Best of luck to him with the Angels.
 
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Kurtz

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What an exciting Jays offseason so far. Wilner out, new Stadium in the works, rumored to be in hot for all major free agents. Think you all need to eat crow with Shapiro, he's been a God send to this organization.

Let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet. The stadium, if it happens, is still 5-8 years away, and we've been rumoured to be in the running for top free agents since Yu Darvish, and are yet to land one (Ryu was a good first step though).
 
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dredeye

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So what is wrong with the Skydome that they need a new stadium? Its only 30 years old?
I like the dome but it’s a concrete block. The appeal to it was the dome back in the day. They want to get away from turf and can’t really do it in the dome. There are things they could try but it’s not a great park to begin with. I’m happy with it but many aren’t
 

BertCorbeau

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I like the dome but it’s a concrete block. The appeal to it was the dome back in the day. They want to get away from turf and can’t really do it in the dome. There are things they could try but it’s not a great park to begin with. I’m happy with it but many aren’t

Isn't there also a lack of box suites as well?

I'll be sad to see it go for nostalgic reasons but a new ballpark in the same location would be excellent. I can't think of going anywhere else to see a Jays game.

Really it's more of a combination of function and economic obsolesce as to why a new stadium is needed. Like how the Flames need a new rink despite the Saddledome being about the same age.
 

TF97

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Has FA started? How come I haven’t heard any signings? Am I too early? Thanms
There have been a couple signings, most notably Ray/Morton/Smyly. I expect there to be some movement after the non-tender deadline this coming Wednesday, where there could be a few trades to go along with many new free agents.
 

hockeywiz542

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Demolishing Rogers Centre will be 'expensive and noisy,' says stadium's ex-CEO - The Athletic

Working at SkyDome was so much fun in the early 1990s — with the championship baseball teams, the concerts and the celebrities — that Richard Peddie grew his hair out. He had a ponytail for a while, and he started wearing an earring just to match the relentless energy around him.

He was the president and chief executive of a building billed as “the eighth wonder of the world,” with a built-in hotel, a retractable roof and a Hard Rock Cafe. Madonna played to sellouts for three nights in a row one spring. Frank Sinatra sang 31 storeys beneath the famous roof.

It was a multi-use, multi-purpose marvel. Peddie joined the year it opened, in 1989, and the feeling was that, whatever an event could draw at another venue, you could safely add another 25 percent if it was moved to SkyDome because everyone wanted to be there.

And then he went to visit Camden Yards, shortly after it opened in 1992, in Baltimore.

“Oh f#ck,” he said.

It was a baseball park designed for baseball. It had natural grass and an authentic feel. Its seats were not on rollers connected to tracks that made them easy to move for different events. It was designed for one thing — and to do that one thing very well.

“I remember it so vividly,” Peddie said. “I was so in love with Camden Yards. I said, ‘That’s the end of multi-use.’”


................

There were structural problems that did not relate to the building. Peddie said one company was in charge of building a stage for a concert, but another was in charge of providing generators. He said McDonald’s held the rights for fast food but another company held the rights for fine dining, and they would often get into disputes over chicken sandwiches — were they fast food or fine dining?

He said SkyDome had a capital budget of $2 million each year, which was money used to replace old lightbulbs, fix cracked seats or paint over scratches in the walls.

When he joined Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Peddie said the capital budget for Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) was up to $8 million a year.

“I don’t really believe in the shelf life of stadiums,” Peddie said Friday. “I believe that if they were built right the first time – and you’re prepared to constantly invest in them — you don’t have to replace them in 30 years.”

Scotiabank Arena is only 10 years younger than Rogers Centre.

“And it looks damned good,” he said. “And they’re spending a lot of money to make it look good.”

Demolishing Rogers Centre would be complicated by the fact so many condominiums have sprouted along the edges of the property, he said. There would be environmental questions about the dust and the noise associated with taking down a building of that size — and with that much concrete.

It would not be like the videos of other stadium demolitions, he said with a chuckle, with a series of explosions followed by the orderly collapse of an old venue.

“You can not do that at SkyDome,” he said. “It will take nuclear weapons to take that thing down. It will be expensive and noisy.”
 
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