'Significant wow factor': Shapiro talks Rogers Centre improvements, 2024 outlook

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Brand-new field, same familiar faces.

That’s what awaits the Blue Jays when they step onto the field at Rogers Centre for their Home Opener on April 8, after months of ballpark renovations and renewed trust in their homegrown core.

Toronto’s offseason didn’t bring the spending spree many around the game expected -- especially after the eventful pursuit of Shohei Ohtani in free agency. Instead, most of the investments happened in the club’s facilities, with Phase 2 of the Rogers Centre renovations expected to be mostly complete by the time the team makes it back to Toronto.

“I expect there will be a significant wow factor from the players,” Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said in a media availability at the Player Development Complex (PDC) in Dunedin. “ … It’ll be unlike anything any of those guys experienced anywhere they played -- it doesn’t matter where they played.”

That was always a main goal of this step in the renovation. As part of the complete overhaul of the ballpark’s lower bowl -- which will also include viewer-friendly seats, premium clubs and closer proximity to the action -- the Blue Jays also reconfigured their home and road clubhouses and added state-of-the-art facilities such as plunge and cryotherapy spaces, meditation and sleep rooms, new pitching and hitting labs and a warm-up path for the home team.

It was a large enough undertaking to necessitate an entire replacement of the field at Rogers Centre, as well as a significant reduction of the foul territory in the ballpark.

The nearly $400 million endeavor is part of a narrative-shifting process that’s been years in the making.

“Nine years ago, I was told free agents wouldn't sign here,” said Shapiro. “That’s clearly not the case now. … You know, we were having a conversation with the most preeminent free agent in the history of modern baseball. We are among the few teams that he considered.”

That, of course, was in reference to Ohtani, who went as far as visiting the Blue Jays’ complex in Florida before signing his record-smashing deal with the Dodgers. The PDC has been a major selling point with free agents since its renovation was completed in 2021, and the Rogers Centre upgrades followed a similar blueprint.

This year, though, most of the bells and whistles were restricted to Ohtani. After missing out on the two-way star, the Blue Jays added complementary pieces like Justin Turner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa and brought back Chad Green and Kevin Kiermaier. It was a puzzling strategy shift to follow a potential $700 million commitment, but Ohtani was a historic outlier.

The front office has remained confident in the club’s current makeup, highlighted by one of the best rotations in the game and homegrown hitters like Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk.

“[We believe] in the projections and the talent that we have in place,” said Shapiro. “The fact that they’re entering the prime of their career -- which means that their performances are going to be more reliable and dependable -- and the demonstrated maturity and work they put in in the offseason. That’s from veteran guys like George Springer, who’s clearly in a different spot, to Kirk and Bo and Vladdy. It’s been clear that guys came in with a sense of purpose, guys came in with a sense of determination, and they're ready to take the next step -- especially those younger players.”

So, the message remains the same: Trust that last year’s run-scoring woes were an outlier and give the young hitters a chance to prove that they can bounce back.

“We’re not picking names out of baseball cards; we’re building a team,” said Shapiro. “We felt [good about] the depth of experiences, the commitment of our own guys, along with the talent. We believed in our guys, that’s the bottom line.”

As long as this core is in place, the contention window should remain open for the Blue Jays. Next offseason, they’ll have another set of ultra-modern facilities to show to free agents who can help them extend that period.