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Blue Jays: Let’s price out spring-training upgrades in Dunedin

Toronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are pricing out improvements to Florida Auto Exchange Stadium and the Englebert training complex to determine whether the team keeps training in Dunedin.

We have more details on the situation at our sister site, Spring Training Online. But the gist of the matter is clear: the Blue Jays want to stay in Dunedin but say major improvements to their spring-training situation are needed. It sounds like the issue is less with the split-camp situation, but rather with the facilities at both the ballpark the training complex.

Going to a spring-training game in Dunedin is a charming experience, especially if you walk in from downtown Dunedin on the Pinellas Trail. But the actual game experience leaves a lot to be desired: Florida Auto Exchange Stadium is an uncomfortably place to take in a game. Upgrading the spring experience there would require a lot more shade (right now there’s basically none), upgraded group spaces and maybe even a wraparound concourse with more seating. It’s a model that worked well for the Minnesota Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays when they approached spring-training renovations; the issue will probably be whether Dunedin has the money to pull off an ambitious renovation.

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