In any given season, there lies a risk. With COVID-19, that risk has been amplified, and now the Toronto Blue Jays organization is taking some extra steps.
Players won’t have as much free time flexibility as the organization announced potential fines and/or jail time. First noted by Scott Mitchell, players have been told that a $750,000 fine ($551,000 USD) and potential jail time could be the penalty for stepping outside the hotel/ballpark area during the season.
The team has currently been camping out in the Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel since Monday. That is connected to the Rogers Centre and that’s where they’ll remain until the 2020 opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. Per sources earlier in the week, the Blue Jays had roughly 46 players already at the Rogers Centre Wednesday. That’s added to a dozen that are currently at the spring training facility in Dunedin Fla. That follows a report of a single person having contracted the virus at the facility.
While some players have adhered to the new restriction, others such as infielder Travis Shaw, have pushed back. Former Blue Jay Marcus Stroman has also given his feedback on the matter against the restriction.
In order for other players to enter the camp, they will need two negative COVID-19 tests. The team already had discovered multiple players and staff had contracted the virus while in Dunedin.
Major League Baseball is requiring anyone entering Canada for non-essential reasons to self-isolate for at least 14 days. The U.S.-Canada border remains closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21st just days before the intended start date for the 2020 season.
Strict rules for new hope
While the Blue Jays aren’t expected to compete for a playoff appearance in 2020, there is still plenty of excitement in Toronto. Much of that comes from the younger generation in legacy players such as Vlad Guererro Jr. and Cavan Biggio with a top 20 minor league system. There is plenty on the horizon to want to protect and be cautious about. It will be interesting to see how things progress but for now, Blue Jays players have one more thing to fear across the 2020 season.
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