A leak in the Rogers Centre roof recently caused the postponement of a Blue Jays home gameGETTY IMAGES
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred made it clear that the 29-year-old Rogers Centre is in "serious need of updates," as the domed venue "falls well below the standards" of most MLB ballparks, according to Rob Longley of the TORONTO SUN. Manfred yesterday said, "The stadium when it was built was a great building, one of our best. Given the passage of time, the building is probably out of date in terms of the amenities that are available in many of our ballparks. So many of our stadiums have millennial areas, things that have been built and become more popular recently." Longley writes Manfred's statement was "no doubt music to the ears" of Blue Jays President & CEO Mark Shapiro, who has been lobbying for some renovations to the "tired venue almost since the day he got here." Compared to the majority of MLB ballparks, the fan experience at Rogers Centre "is lacking." Manfred: "I do know that there's limited seating in this facility. In a market as robust as Toronto, if it were my club I'd probably want a lot more than you have" (TORONTO SUN, 4/25). THE ATHLETIC's John Lott noted since Shapiro took over in his current role in fall '15, he has "repeatedly emphasized the need" for significant ballpark improvements. Manfred's public pronouncements "certainly sounded a lot like lobbying -- as in a message to Rogers: Perk up and pay up." Shapiro oversaw a "major facelift of Progressive Field" in '15 when he was Indians President, and he "believes the Rogers Centre needs similar refurbishments to boost revenue by appealing to a younger fan base." However, Shapiro "downplayed Manfred's ability to nudge Rogers to spring for improvements" to the ballpark (THEATHLETIC.com, 4/24).
