National Post (National Edition)
Spring-er training questions have nothing to do with baseball
Jays don't even know where they will call home in April
In less than four weeks, Blue Jays pitchers and catchers are due to report to the team's spring training base in Dunedin, Fla.
Or should we call it Springer training, given the excitement surrounding the franchise following this week's big acquisition of George Springer?
Anticipating how things will unfold when the Jays arrive under the palms of their Florida Gulf Coast home next month still presents as many questions as answers. Officially, plans are in place to report for business as usual with physicals on Feb. 17 and on-field activity starting the following day. After that, the team is scheduled to begin its Grapefruit League schedule on Feb. 27, the first of an ambitious 32 such exhibition contests.
Unofficially, it's potentially much more complicated, with that number of pre-season games bordering on unrealistic.
Nothing about professional sports will be business as usual in 2021, of course, and the Jays are preparing for all manner of contingencies and getting ready to adapt on the fly. There's still hope that some games will be played at the Rogers Centre, though midsummer may be the most optimistic for that scenario.
Following are some of the issues and questions that await as the annual baseball rite of spring nears:
GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE SQUEEZED?
Though there's a comprehensive schedule in place, including the 32 games for the Jays, in reality the spring training slate will likely be much more modest, especially if fans aren't allowed in stadiums.
One source suggested that 15 games or so would make more sense and still allow players — and in particular pitchers — to prepare for the season. The three games the Jays played last summer weren't nearly enough, but 30-plus isn't necessary, either.
The Jays aren't completely dismissing the possibility of a full schedule, even if it doesn't make sense. As one source put it: “It probably wouldn't be the smartest thing. The games are in Florida and Arizona.”
Logistics and pandemic protocols will be a huge concern, given the bus rides around the Sunshine State, the large number of players who usually go on those trips, and the fact that some of the Grapefruit League stadiums are spartan and cramped.
If no fans are allowed, teams may not be required to send as many veterans to games that might be limited to seven innings.
DUNEDIN EXTENDED STAY?
The Rogers Centre hasn't been ruled out for the regular season, but even the most positive thinking optimist would be hard-pressed to expect an April 8 home opener in Toronto.
With that in mind, Dunedin's TD Ballpark would appear to be the most viable option to start the season, though a source says nothing has been finalized yet. We can assume that no one associated with the Jays wants anything to do with outdoor baseball in Buffalo in April and May.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported this week that if Dunedin ends up being home, the Jays could prepare for games at their spectacular renovated practice facility nearby and bus to the stadium, while visiting teams would prepare and use the weight room facilities at TD Ballpark. Logistically it would make sense. The prospect of a delayed start to the season remains, but the sense is that players will agree to that scenario only if a 162-game schedule remains.
The Jays are in regular contact with the league regarding scheduling options.
EARLY PREPARATION
There are players currently working out at the Jays' complex in Dunedin, but considerably fewer than in previous years.
Like all major-league teams, the Jays are adhering to a recent directive from the commissioner's office restricting access to players rehabbing from injury and those living in the immediate area.
That means there are less than 10 major-league players getting their winter work in at the renovated Dunedin facility, and they're doing so under the strict pandemic protocols the team followed throughout the 2020 season.