Toronto Blue Jays near 'top of the list' to host future MLB all-star game

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Baseball’s all-star game and the increasing array of festivities that surround the sport’s showcase summer event long ago stopped being merely a celebration of the game’s best.

It became a marketing drive for the sport and a showcase for the game’s young stars, as we’ve seen by the glitzy and sometimes over-the-top presentation of the proceedings in recent years.

It also became an opportunity for the commissioner’s office to urge ownership of Major League Baseball teams to either build new stadiums or significantly invest in upgrades on current venues.

With that in mind, it appears that the Toronto Blue Jays remain under serious consideration for a future Midsummer Classic, a point acknowledged by commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at a Baseball Writers Association of America meeting in Atlanta, Manfred strongly hinted that the Jays would be under consideration for a future edition of the game and all the related activities, including the Home Run Derby.

“I’d like to be back in Toronto,” Manfred said at the meeting, according to Sportsnet. “TBD at this point, beyond that.

“Obviously (the Jays) are kind of perking up to the top of the list based on time.”

Topping the Jays credentials for hosting a game in the future is the $400 million plus in renovations Rogers pumped into the downtown dome, transforming it from a tired stadium verging on relic to a vibrant venue flush with high-end seating and public gathering areas.

Manfred is known see such areas as critical to the attraction of the “modern” stadium. For last year’s game in Seattle, the Mariners wiped out the press box behind home plate and transformed it into an elite seating area. Under team president Mark Shapiro, the Jays did the same several years ago.

The Jays previously hosted an all-star game in 1991, a gap that also plays into Manfred’s apparent criteria. In the three-plus decades since, Toronto has changed dramatically and would have plenty to offer as a host city for one of baseball’s signature events.

The fact that Manfred openly acknowledges that the Jays haven’t had a chance to host the event in so long is a plus in their credential, certainly increases optimism around the franchise in its hopes to showcase the renovated Rogers Centre and the city.

That the Jays are interested is not news. Team president Mark Shapiro has been vocal and transparent about wooing the commissioner for a shot at hosting one of the league’s big-ticket events for quite some time now.

If Toronto is to be awarded the all-star game, it won’t be imminent, however. Next year’s edition has already been awarded to Philadelphia and widespread speculation has the 2027 event landing in Chicago’s north side, where the Cubs would be host.

Other teams speculated to be on the commissioner’s waiting list are Boston and Baltimore. There is no guarantee that 2028 would be available for would-be suitors, however, given that baseball is returning to the Olympics in Los Angeles with MLB expressing some interest in participating. If that happens, it’s unlikely that the league would have a second interruption for an all-star game.

Having said that, Manfred told reporters on Tuesday that Olympic participation wouldn’t necessary mean a hiatus from the all-star game, further emphasizing the league’s stance of the festivities being an important marquee event.

Manfred’s comments on Tuesday aren’t the first time he has acknowledged Toronto’s candidacy as a future host for the all-star game.

And Shapiro has been open about the team’s interest and optimism of being awarded the game in the future. Manfred visited the Rogers Centre in 2024 after the first round of renovations were completed to here a more detailed pitch. At the time, Shapiro suggested that Toronto could successfully land the game some time in the coming five years.

It also doesn’t hurt that Jays ownership, Rogers Communications, continues to be a North American leader in terms of spending on professional sports properties.

While no guarantee it is happening, Manfred’s latest comments certainly suggests the possibility is high for Toronto’s opportunity. The fact that the Jays continue to draw well and that the renovations — both to the fan areas and team facilities — have been well received appears to have further increased those credentials.