Meet the Syracuse METS !

It all became official today with the announcement in Syracuse that the former Syracuse Chiefs are now the Syracuse Mets. The New York Mets announced before last season that they were moving their Triple-A affiliation from Las Vegas to Syracuse effective with the 2019 season.  The Washington Nationals had been the Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse.

The announcement of the name change came at NBT Bank Stadium.  The name change breaks a lengthy tradition in Syracuse as the nickname Chiefs goes back to 1934 with the exception of a brief period when they became known as the SkyChiefs while under Toronto affiliation.

Published reports indicate that a major part of the deal involves a lease extension between the New York Mets and Onondaga County that carries through 2043.  Under the agreement the County will make up to 25 million dollars in stadium improvements.  New York is also required to keep a Triple-A operation in Syracuse and cannot put a lower level minor league affiliate there.

The move puts New York's top two minor league development teams within about 75 miles of each other.  This will facilitate player moves up or down in rapid fashion.  The former Binghamton Mets...now Rumble Ponies have been New York's Double-A affiliate since 1992.