Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Travis Shaw is currently with his team at the Rogers Centre complex preparing for the 2020 baseball season, but he seems to have his doubts about the summer plans which could see him and teammates confined at the park and an adjacent hotel all year long.
The Canadian government, which granted special permission for Blue Jays staff and players to congregate at the park to practice in preparation for the 2020 season’s kickoff in late July, has apparently said that there will be stiff penalties for players who are seen out and about in the community.
According to TSN reporter Scott Mitchell, the penalties could reach up to $750,000 and include jail time.
Shaw said that being confined at the park and its adjacent hotel all summer long “isn’t going to happen” and that it is “not an option.” According to reports from players, they had originally been told that their confinement at the park complex would only last for two weeks, not all summer long.
Canada has seen falling numbers of falling COVID-19 hospitalizations and positive tests, whereas the United States, where the other 29 franchises are located and where the Blue Jays will have to extensively travel to, has seen its pandemic grow worse in recent weeks.
Shaw and his Blue Jays teammates must now wait to see if they will be allowed to leave the park complex or if they will forced to say there all summer long if they do indeed elect to play.
