The Blue Jays might have nailed this whole renovation thing (Plus: Today in MLBTR!!!)
A detailed look at every corner of the new Rogers Centre, plus deadline plans, Benintendi, Jansen, Astros, Odorizzi, Kikuchi, Rodón, Padres, López, Tigers, Blue Jays Happy Hour, and more!
There was nothing statue related as part of the Jays’ big stadium renovation announcement here on Thursday, meaning that — at least for the time being — ol’ Uncle Ted will continue to be the only figure towering permanently outside the walls of the stadium bearing his name. And that’s OK!
Why is that OK?
I mean, it’s not, it’s stupid and a slap in the face still, but oh man, there’s no need to dwell on anything negative after what the Blue Jays actually did announce. The Rogers Centre is going to look like a real ballpark next season! And even more so the season after that.
So let’s talk about it!
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Calling what the Blue Jays announced on Thursday a “renovation” doesn’t really do it justice. It’s more like a reimagining of what some of the most badly underutilized spaces in the building can be. The idea all along has been to extend the life of the facility for at least another decade or two, while adding a bunch of opportunities for the club to pull in premium revenue, and on first blush it feels like a real win on both counts. Especially, I think, because the club already made some noticeable modernizations this past winter, and because we’ve seen how happy everyone has been with the work done by Populous — the “industry-leading” architectural design firm that is behind these changes — on their new Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Florida.
There’s reason to be confident this will actually turn out looking something like what’s been proposed here.
To really understand why this is such a big win, one only needs to take a look. The Blue Jays’ media kit provided some incredibly high resolution renderings, allowing us to zoom in and examine some of the finer points. So let’s!
Centre field
Looking at the rendering of centre field, the batter’s eye, the JumboTron, and the WestJet Flight Deck, you don’t notice a whole lot of difference from what the stadium looks like today. Standing out the most is what’s happening along the fence line, which the seats now meet. Gone are glimpses of the ugly tunnel that rings the bottom of the building, and the tarped-over seats of the batter’s eye. Some fans will actually be out from underneath the concrete ring of the Flight Deck, and — most noticeable of all — we see that the fence dips in the centre. Whether that will be the final shape it takes remains to be seen, but if it stays like this it could lead to some pretty spectacular catches. And a lot of ground rule doubles.
Sure! Why not?
Right field
OK, now this is different! Some form of a chain link fence will remain in right field, but instead of a bullpen being back there we see one of the many new “social spaces.” Another of those can be seen jutting out from the corner at field level.
On that note, Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling tweets that as part of these renovations the amount of foul territory will be decreased. The Jays, he says, have the second most amount of foul territory in MLB — a fact owing to the multipurpose origins of the facility. There’s no indication of where the building will rank afterwards, but any kind of change in this regard will be a boon for hitters, as it will cut down on the opportunity for foul outs.
Looking up in the rendering and and we can see even more major changes. A big social space in the corner at concourse level that stretches out above the “Bullpen Patio” — which naturally, overlooks the bullpen.
We also see a “social space” on the 200 level, and more casual picnic style seats above the glassed-in section of the hotel, formerly home to the Hard Rock Cafe. Currently situated above there are small sections of seats that simply don’t get used.
Left field
There will be big changes in left field as well, though not identical to the ones in right — an extension of the project’s intention to remove some of the cookie-cutter symmetry from the building. Gone are the little-used 500 level seats between the foul pole and the hotel, replaced by another “party deck.” We see above how the 200 level is cut back near the foul pole, opening up space for another viewing area, and for the other bullpen — this one minus the patio.
You can still see the bones of the old structure in the rendering, but the difference is stark — especially when compared to the current view below.
Right field bullpen
Here we see another angle of the right field ‘pen and some of the social spaces that surround it — including ones underneath the concourse. This makes clear just how much closer fans are going to be to visiting relievers — and starters, pre-game — when they’re warming up. That proximity was very much intentional.
"It's going to create a unique opportunity for our fans to encourage our relievers,” said Mark Shaprio, per Mitch Bannon. “And potentially discourage—the kindest way you can say it—opposing relief pitchers.”
Love it!
And look at the shape of that fence! Is that even allowed??? I mean, if Houston could have Tal’s Hill for all those year, who knows what kind of dumb quirks a team can get away with. And hell, as long as it doesn’t ruin George Springer, I’m fine with it!
Seats
OK, so maybe there’s not a ton going on visually in this rendering, but I wanted to highlight it because of one really, really, important thing: the orientation of the seats.
This is massive, as the current setup is an absolute tire fire. The poor people in the image below are staring out at what once was the 55-yard line. Above the rows are almost perpendicular to the foul line. Anyone who has ever sat out there knows the twisting required to actually follow 95% of the action on the baseball field — which, of course, takes place between the mound and home plate.
Also absolutely worth noting, regarding the seats, is that the entire 500 level will have new seats installed this winter for the first time since the building opened in 1989. I wasn’t sure they were going to do that at all, let alone get it done first. So that’s also huge. Really throwing a bone to the non-premium revenue-generators there, folks!
Put it all together and…
Yeah. That works. There will be time to nitpick. Maybe every detail isn’t perfect. You can’t please everyone. But as I said above, this doesn’t feel like a day for negativity on this stuff.
No, the grass won’t be real — get over it! Otherwise? I can’t believe the dumpy concrete mausoleum I’ve been to hundreds of times is going to look like that. (Granted, with a bunch more garish ads and screaming videoboards, and presumably the Level of Excellence moved somewhere, too. But still!)
And you want to know what I like most of all about these renderings??? They’ve got José Berríos out here averaging more than 11 innings per start! GET IN!!!
Today in MLBTR
OK, moving on!
The clock is ticking on MLB front offices that want to improve their teams — or throw in the towel — before the trade deadline passes at 6 PM ET on Tuesday. Here's the latest that's out there as of 5:30-ish on Thursday afternoon, much of it via the always invaluable MLB Trade Rumors...
• We’ll start closer to home, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi ostensibly wrote about the Jays’ latest Trevor Richardsing — this time on Wednesday night, at the hands of the Cardinals — but actually focused a lot on the upcoming deadline and comments made to reporters by GM Ross Atkins. Atkins says that the prices to acquire talent are high, and that "in order to move quickly, you're probably going to pay a premium." That's not exactly breaking news, and it's not exactly unexpected — no GM is going to let on at this stage that he thinks he'll be able to fleece a bunch of teams. But it does speak to the fact that, with newly added playoff spots jumbling the picture more than ever, a ton of movement may go down to the wire.
• Atkins indicated that the Jays are going to be willing to pay those prices — some of them, at least. He explained that he feels good about the depth of the farm system, and that the current roster has put the front office into a position where they have to think about win-now moves. “You never feel good about subtracting (prospects), but we feel like we're in a good position to be able to make a decision if it makes sense for us.”
• So, what’s out there? One name that Shi notes is no longer out there is Andrew Benindendi, who was moved from the Royals to the Yankees on Wedensday night for a trio of prospects. That’s a nice pickup for New York, and Benintendi even suggests that he’ll get vaccinated in order to be able to play in Toronto when they visit in late September. Will adding a left-handed hitting outfielder take the Yankees out of the Juan Soto sweepstakes? Probably not a good idea to assume that just yet!
• With the prices so high out there we’re starting to see reports of good teams thinking extra-creatively about what to do with their own players. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic had a bunch of ideas like this a noontime post on Thursday, noting that the Astros could be looking to move one of their starters — a luxury they have because they're currently running a six-man rotation, and will soon get Lance McCullers Jr. back into the mix as a seventh. The twist: they would want big league help back, likely in the form of a catcher or a centre fielder. I can't imagine there would be a fit for Gabriel Moreno there, unless the Astros were giving up someone they absolutely wouldn't trade (i.e. Justin Verlander or Framber Valdez), but would Danny Jansen be a conversation-starter on, say, Cristian Javier or Luis Garcia? (I know, I know, but the Jays will have to deal with this three catcher thing at some point!)
• Ken looks at the Orioles as a potential fit for the Astros as well, and with their contention window perhaps approaching a little faster than anyone expected, I can see why they'd do that (even if it's a little pointless for them to be thinking too much about this year).
• He also mentions Jake Odorizzi as the pitcher Houston would prefer to part with — someone we know the Jays have had interest in previously, but who also hasn't been great this year, and has an $8 million player option for next season. We certainly wouldn't be talking about Jansen, or any of the Jays' other three catchers in that case, but he could be an interesting add as Yusei Kikuchi insurance this year, and as a Ross Stripling replacement for next year. Yes, Stripling has provided the Jays a bunch of value, and he's hard not to like, but I have a hard time seeing the Jays actually giving him a qualifying offer this winter — $18 million for what should be your fifth starter at best? Sorry, but pass — so they'll have to figure something out for that role. A guy like Odorizzi might fit rather nicely.
• A potentially more intriguing name comes a little farther down in Ken's piece, when he discusses what the Padres are up to. Pads GM A.J. Preller is checking in on starting pitchers, despite the fact that his rotation is in fairly decent shape. One idea among several that Ken throws out is that Preller could be looking to move Blake Snell in order to help keep the team below the luxury tax threshold. Snell isn't the pitcher Jays fans remember from his time with the Rays — for one thing, he's walked 33 batters in 55 innings over 11 starts this season — but the strikeouts are there, and he's controlled for one more season at $16.6 million. I'm not sure he'd be a better 2023 bet than Stripling, but colour me intrigued. (Of course, if the price tag is a starter going back to San Diego, the issue is kinda moot).
• Brutal news for the Marlins, as they announced that Max Meyer, the number three overall pick in 2020, who has made just two big league appearances so far, is set to have Tommy John surgery and will miss not just the rest of this season, but most — if not all — of next year as well. Does this change GM Kim Ng’s plans at the deadline regarding young pitchers like Pablo López, who has often been suggested as a Jays target? Maybe! I don’t know! Their prospects for the 2023 season just took a sizeable hit — and that’s assuming Jazz Chisholm, who is currently out with a stress fracture in his back, will be fine going forward.
• Another pitcher that the Jays could potentially look at is Carlos Rodón of the Giants, who may be available thanks to the Giants’ ongoing slide — including seven straight losses, which sees them now sitting 3.5 games back of the final NL wild card spot, and 17.5 back of the Dodgers in the NL West. Rodón has been healthy and pitching extremely well in San Francisco this year. That sounds great for a potential suitor, save for one problem: Rodón has a player option for next season worth $22.5 million. If he stays healthy he’ll opt out, if he doesn’t it means a ton of money potentially down the drain. That’s a lot of risk. And while that will lower the acquisition cost, you do wonder about the idea of wasting that money, plus Hyun Jin Ryu’s money, plus potentially Yusei Kikuchi’s, too!
• Chris Henderson of Jays Journal takes a look at some of the other Giants pieces that could be available.
• Also on the market will be a number of Detroit Tigers players — some of whom the Jays and their fans will get a close-up view of over the weekend, as they visit the Jays at Rogers Centre. One who will not is lefty Andrew Chafin, who is on the restricted list due to his vaccine status. That’s a shame, given the nice year he’s having — 2.53 ERA, 11.0 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.28 HR/9, 2.22 FIP, 21.8 K-BB% — and the fact that the Jays don’t really have a great lefty to turn to beyond Tim Mayza. (Though apparently they do have some hope for Anthony Banda that belies his rather unimpressive numbers).
• Regardless, I think Benny Fresh is on the right track on this front:
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• Lastly, from the non-MLBTR file: Be sure to get Callin and follow Blue Jays Happy Hour there so that you can listen in when Nick and I record our next live podcast, following the final out of Thursday’s opener against the Tigers!!!
It will be a new-look Yusei Kikuchi on the hill for the Jays, as he’s been activated from the IL after dealing with a “neck strain” and apparently now has new mechanics, a new slider grip, and — hopefully — newfound confidence. Or, at least, a newfound ability to go at least a little bit deeper into games. That has not been his strong suit this year, as we can see in the chart below from Props.cash — player prop research made easy!
Kikuchi has recorded 15 outs — i.e. made it all the way through the fifth inning — just six times in 16 starts this season. That is… ah… not good.
Should be an interesting one! See you then!
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Now that's the premium content I'm here for, haha. Thanks for the thorough explanation!
In your Rodon bullet point, you mention the "waste" of Ryu's money next season. But don't the Jays have insurance to cover that loss? I would think that's almost a mandatory get for big FA contracts. Or maybe $88M or whatever it was wasn''t deemed a big enough risk at the time?