Blue Jays held the training camp in Toronto, a source says

The Blue Jays organization must return to a modified quarantine for 14 days after returning to Toronto to hold a training camp in Canada. This comes from a response the Canadian Health Department gave the team on Tuesday.

A source with knowledge of the subject told the star that the federal government had partnered with the city and province to approve the spring training section of the Blue Jays application up to and including Intrasquad games. However, the federal source said that the Blue Jays must isolate their tour group within their team hotel under the modified quarantine – a policy that would be problematic for Major League Baseball and the Blue Jays if used early in the regular season, such as the MLB would include travel to and from the United States. The source was given anonymity in order to be able to speak freely about the answer.

Baseball, according to its operations manual, requires an exception to the Canadian COVID 19 guidelines, which requires anyone returning from non-essential trips to the country to isolate themselves for 14 days. A ban on non-essential travel remains in effect nationwide until July 21 and is expected to be extended.

Under a modified quarantine, the Jays could isolate their list and essential Rogers Center personnel. The team had hoped to bring a group of 60 players to Toronto by Friday to open the camp and prepare for the season’s restart on July 23 or 24.

However, MLB’s plan provides for the right of players to stay at home in their hometown, and a 14-day quarantine, which applies to either the Jays or visiting teams, would be an immovable obstacle. And while the jays are said to be receptive to the interim solution, the club will eventually need assurances that the club and its opponents on the Canadian-American border will be given more relaxed restrictions to be able to play the regular season here.

The Blue Jays replied to a request for comment, but declined to offer updates to their current situation.

Mark Shapiro, President of Blue Jays, ordered the group to report to Dunedin on Wednesday – the opening day of the summer camp according to MLB’s operations manual – to begin testing with the hope of bringing the group to Toronto for training and resuming the regular season was reduced to 60 games over a period of 66 days.

Discussions about what would happen beyond spring training continue. One of Toronto’s options is that they play their regular season in Florida, perhaps along with the Tampa Bay Rays. Toronto also has its farm team in Buffalo, although the field is not ready to play.

It is not known when the deadline – whether internal or from MLB’s perspective – could be for a final decision.

Florida, along with Texas and Arizona, has seen dramatic increases in coronavirus cases over the past week, with Florida breaking records for reported cases on three different days in the past 10 days.

Shapiro said in a conference call last week that the team “exceeded” the protocols described in the manual, which include body temperature tests twice daily, a saliva sample or an oral nasal swab, and a blood test for anti-body tests.

The manual describes three levels of groups that are gradually introduced at the beginning of the regular season. The first phase – the group of 60 players – undergoes diagnostic tests every other day during spring training and the regular season, while all other employees have this test performed several times a week and antibody tests once a month.

According to the source, the government has used these guidelines as a starting point for talking to the Blue Jays about stricter protocols, including daily testing of all employees and players.

The Blue Jays have virtually canceled the modified quarantine and will continue to negotiate tests and other protocols, the source said.

If the club actually returns to the camp in Toronto, they will prepare for a schedule that includes 40 of their 60 games against American League East opponents, according to the schedule information released by MLB on Tuesday.

A report in Tampa said the Blue Jays would open the season against the Rays, while the details of the MLB schedule indicated that Toronto would play its other 20 games against the National League East teams (Mets, Braves, Nationals, Marlins and Phillies ) will contest.

Baseball immediately canceled its 2020 minor league season, confirming that minor leaguers would not get a season this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Jays, which were progressive in terms of pay and environment for their minor league players and teams, confirmed last week that they would extend their minor league players’ pay until September 7th.