Apr 8, 2021
Report: Bisons to move to NJ to accommodate Jays
The Buffalo News's Mike Harrington reports that Major League Baseball is working on a plan to move the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, the regular tenants of Sahlen Field and the Toronto Blue Jays' affiliates, temporarily to Trenton, NJ, in order for the Jays to once again the use the stadium in downtown Buffalo for home games later in the season.
TSN.ca Staff
With the Toronto Blue Jays unlikely to return to the Rogers Centre any time soon due to ongoing COVID-19 border restrictions, the team is currently based in its spring training home of Dunedin, FL where it will play all of its 22 home games until the end of May.
But a return to the club's 2020 of Sahlen Field in Buffalo appears to be in the cards.
The Buffalo News's Mike Harrington reports that Major League Baseball is working on a plan to move the Triple-A Bisons, the regular tenants of Sahlen Field and the Jays' affiliates, temporarily to Trenton, NJ, in order for the Jays to once again the use the stadium in downtown Buffalo. There was no conflict in 2020 with the minor-league season cancelled due to the pandemic.
The reason for the move would be concern over the potential for untenable heat and frequent rain in Dunedin in the summer months.
Harrington notes that an official announcement could by imminent from one of the involved parties.
The Bisons are set to begin their 2021 campaign on May 4. Under the proposed plan, the Bisons would play at the former Arm & Hammer Park, a facility that seats 6,200, and once was home to the New York Yankees' Double-A affiliate Trenton Thunder. The park is now unoccupied with the Yankees moving their affiliate to Somerset, NJ.
For how long the Bisons would be expected to remain in New Jersey is uncertain and the team provided no comment to Harrington.
Unlike last season, should the Blue Jays play in Buffalo, fans will now be allowed to attend with New York State regulations allowing for 20 per-cent capacity or roughly 3,300 fans.
Sahlen Field, which underwent temporary retrofitting for the Jays last summer, is currently undergoing more permanent improvements furnished by the Jays and MLB.