Blue Jays Looking to Leave Dunedin?

Since 1977, the Toronto Blue Jays have called Dunedin home during spring training. However, according to a report by the The Globe and Mail, the Blue Jays are exploring spring training options outside of Dunedin. 

The Blue Jays' lease at Auto Exchange Stadium is set to expire in 2017, according to the report, and Blue Jays officials are using that timeframe to explore new spring training locations. 

The Globe and Mail report said possible new locations include Naples, Vero Beach, Fort Myers, Palm City, Daytona Beach or even Pasco County. 

Toronto Blue Jays president Paul Beeston told the paper that in an ideal world the team would stay in Dunedin, but they will look in other areas due to stadium conditions and stadium proximity to the clubhouse. 

“We’ve been in Dunedin from the beginning [in 1977] and it hasn’t impeded us from being successful,” Beeston emphasized in a telephone conversation from Toronto. “Having said that, it’s not an ideal situation from the player-development perspective, with the separate complexes.”

Dunedin city officials, concerned about the possibility of the Blue Jays leaving town, recently discussed planning a trip to Canada to help strengthen ties with the franchise.

You can read the rest of the Globe and Mail report by visiting, theglobeandmail.com.

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