LOS ANGELES – The Toronto Blue Jays are talking to Major League Baseball about a possible bid to host the 2027 All-Star Game, after the Rogers Centre is through an upcoming renovation, according to two industry sources.
After taking place at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, the Midsummer Classic shifts to Seattle’s T-Mobile Park in 2023, while the Philadelphia Phillies are due to host the 2026 game at Citizens Bank Park. The 2024 and 2025 games are also thought to be spoken for but have not been publicly awarded.
As part of the selection process, the Blue Jays must present a hosting plan to MLB with information on hotels, convention space and potential fan festival events, among other elements. Typically, the bids have some local government support.
An MLB representative declined to discuss future all-star games.
The Blue Jays have only hosted the event once, back in 1991 during the dome’s second full season, and are certainly due to stage another. That contest was a 4-2 American League win, with Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. the game’s MVP.
Festivities around the event have grown substantially since, with the Futures Game and draft now part of the week along with the home run derby, fan festival and game.
Hosting the all-star game would be an opportunity to showcase a refurbishment for the dome expected to begin this fall and take place over two off-seasons.
Final plans aren’t yet known, but initial discussions included the outfield being redone with elevated bullpens and asymmetric walls this winter (some season-ticket subscribers were recently informed that they’ll be relocated in 2023). The rest of the lower bowl reset will start in the off-season to follow.
Aside from 1991, the only other all-star game outside the United States was staged by the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium in 1982, a 4-1 National League triumph in which Dave Concepcion was MVP.
