Fans paying a premium to see first-place Blue Jays

Heather Gardiner couldn't give her seats away.

TORONTO – Heather Gardiner couldn’t give her seats away.

The Blue Jays owned a record under .500 back in the spring, and looked poised for another middling campaign with little playoff hope.

Things then drastically turned around on the field. Toronto now sits first in the American League East.

And tickets are a hot commodity — often at a hefty price.

Getting into Rogers Centre to see Canada’s only Major League Baseball team has quickly morphed into a costly endeavour this summer that has surprised some fans.

A recent sold-out series against the New York Yankees saw the cheapest seats on resale sites going for more than $200 apiece, while a ticket in the 500 level for Friday’s series-opener with the Kansas City Royals was in the neighbourhood of $80 as of Wednesday afternoon — more than double face value.

Gardiner and her family have two season tickets near the visitors dugout. The tech consultant, who’s had seats since Toronto’s 2015 playoff run, sold most of her extras at cost to friends last season.

After the Jays’ underwhelming start to 2025, interest dropped to near zero.