BUFFALO, N.Y. [WKBW] — With every passing day, it becomes less and less likely the Buffalo Bisons will play games at Sahlen Field in 2020.
“It’s getting harder and harder to be optimistic about the baseball season, especially the minor league baseball season,” President of Rich Baseball Operations and Bisons General Manager Mike Buczkowski said.
Returning to the ballpark hasn’t been ruled out. But with so many unanswered questions and a lack of clarity in Major League Baseball, it’s hard for minor league teams to plan.
“We’re no longer on Plan B or Plan C, we’re on plans X, Y, & Z at this point,” Buczkowski added. “We’ll remain hopeful until someone tells us we’re not able to play.”
As for the Bisons parent club, the Toronto Blue Jays, they need to figure out where they’ll be playing if the MLB returns. With border restrictions, they might not be able to play in Toronto. On a conference call with reporters Thursday, Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins said they have to plan for everything.
“The options are, playing in Florida, playing in another Major League Stadium or playing in a minor league facility,” Atkins said. “There could be other alternatives but those are the ones we’ve considered.”
Atkins was specially asked if Buffalo was an option, but did not provide any further clarity, saying several factors will go into the decision.
“I don’t know if it is a possibility but we have not been contacted by the Blue Jays at all,” Buczkowski said.
