The Blue Jays will play in a renovated Dunedin Stadium and training complex next year, and Dir of Florida Operations Shelby Nelson is "extremely excited" about the team's future there, according to Jerry Stockfisch of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. The $102M project has "grown significantly since the city entered into an agreement" with the Blue Jays in November '17 to keep the team's "spring training and minor-league operations" there for the next 25 years. Originally an $81M deal, the team "upped its stake by another $20 million, and Dunedin is pitching in another $530,000," which makes it the "biggest construction project in city history." The new two-story, 100,000-square-foot training and administrative complex "will be nearly three times the size of the tired, overcrowded existing facility." Meanwhile, Dunedin Stadium will increase capacity from 5,500 to 8,500 "through additional seats, standing room and 'party deck' viewing." New renovations also include "bathrooms, concessions and suites" along with a "new scoreboard, Jays Shop, Jays Zone and BBQ Tent; an air-conditioned bar along the third base line and an outdoor bar in right field; and a boardwalk linking each side of the stadium around the outfield to provide 360-degree fan circulation" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 10/8).
