The stars appear to be aligning for the city of Toronto, with reports that the Blue Jays are expected to host the 2029 All-Star Game.
On Friday, the league announced that the 2028 Major League Baseball All-Star Game is headed back to the Bay Area, with the San Francisco Giants hosting at Oracle Park.
But more interestingly for fans north of the border was a report shortly after that announcement regarding the following Midsummer Classic.
“While the Chicago Cubs are hosting the 2027 All-Star Game, the 2029 All-Star Game is expected to be awarded to the Toronto Blue Jays, followed by the Baltimore Orioles in 2030,” reported Bob Nightengale, a Major League Baseball insider for USA Today.
If the report is accurate, it would mark the first time since 1991 that Toronto has hosted the MLB All-Star Game, in what will be the franchise’s 53rd season.
Why would Toronto be a good all-star host?
Rogers, the owners of the Blue Jays, has invested large sums recently in overhauling the Rogers Centre, much to the delight of fans and players. Potentially hosting the big annual event would be considered a big win for the franchise, which has patiently waited years for another opportunity to do so but has repeatedly been passed over.
2029 also would mark the 40th anniversary of the SkyDome’s inaugural season, which would be another tremendous tip of the cap to the iconic downtown stadium.
Other than the Blue Jays, the only team to go longer without hosting the All-Star Game is the Athletics, who hosted in 1987 while the team was still in Oakland. However, with the franchise building a new stadium and moving to Las Vegas, the end of that drought may be on the horizon.
Of the current 30 MLB franchises, only the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays have yet to host an All-Star Game.
The 2026 edition of the All-Star Game took place last month in Philadelphia, with the Blue Jays sending three players — Ernie Clement, Dylan Cease and Louis Varland — as well as manager John Schneider and his coaching staff, who earned the honour after taking the team to the World Series last year.
Why is the 2028 All-Star Game in San Francisco?
Putting the 2028 edition of the All-Star Game in San Francisco seemed like an easy choice for the league. With baseball returning as an Olympic sport to the Summer Games hosted in Los Angeles, putting the league’s star-studded exhibition on the West Coast should be a home run in terms of travel arrangements.
The Giants most recently hosted the All-Star Game in 2007, with Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki earning the MVP after hitting the first inside-the-park home run in the game’s history.
“With its passionate fanbase, world-class ballpark, and rich baseball history, San Francisco will be an outstanding host for All-Star Week, which culminates in one of Major League Baseball’s best traditions, the Midsummer Classic,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing the excitement of All-Star Week and the celebration of baseball to the Bay Area.”
The Chicago Cubs are slated to host next year’s All-Star Game at Wrigley Field — though a looming labour crisis between MLB and the Players Association, which could lead to a lengthy work stoppage, may throw those plans into disarray.
Whether or not a potential work stoppage will affect plans to award the 2029 All-Star Game to Toronto remains to be seen.