Interesting observation. I've been to several games since the reno's and thought the atmosphere was really good. I've only been to 1 game this year and I was in a box, so my experience was different obviously. There were 26K people in attendance and the Jays played great with a couple late inning runs to seal the victory. I thought the place had a good vibe.
Overall, I think reno's to create "general" areas for people to hangout and be social are positive. Yes, most of the people in those areas aren't watching the game, but having them in the building alone helps. Personally, I'm often frustrated at games when I'm sitting around people who aren't engaged in the game - loud, obnoxious, drunk, constantly leaving their seats. I'm all for giving them a place to go and hang out with others who want to experience the game in that manner. And of course I've been "part of that crowd" at games myself (especially when travelling to other ball parks where I have no rooting interest). I don't want to be cramped up in seats surrounded by kids/families myself.
The reality is stadiums really only need a certain number of seats for people who are really interested in watching the game. After that, it's wasted space and you're better off diversifying the experience to draw in more casual fans or just people looking for somewhere to hang out before a night on the town.
I don't love seeing the super expensive seats full of rich snobs who miss half the game because of "business" and other BS either - but it's reality unfortunately. Almost everyone in baseball is following the same pattern - likely because it gives you the best returns. As long as Rogers is making top dollar and re-investing it into our payroll - I'm cool with it.