Tuesday March 29, 2016- I am very pleased to hear that the attendance at the exhibition games between the Blue Jays and the Red Sox will surpass 100,000 spectators. It will once again show how excited Montreal is for baseball, and how strong it is as a baseball market.

Recently, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred Jr. outlined what he would like to see from Montreal and prospective owners as it relates to the return of baseball to the city. I support these comments and I can confirm that the Montreal Baseball Project group will address these as part of the process we are undertaking.

For Montreal to welcome the Red Sox and Blue Jays to town will be a great honour. Before the arrival of the Expos, the Red Sox were a team that had a strong following in Montreal. That allegiance still exists today as many Red Sox fans from the city and north of the border continue to passionately follow the team and visit Fenway every year. It will also be great to once again see the Toronto Blue Jays in Montreal, after their tremendous success in 2015, in which they were crowned American League East Champions.

To have close to 300,000 people attend a weekend of exhibition baseball games over 3 years will speak volumes to the baseball world, and have some bearing on the situations of the two teams looking to build new stadiums. I am greatly encouraged by our progress, and I would like to see local and corporate support continue to build for this goal to make Montreal a Major League city again.

#montrealwantsbaseballback