New York Mets will buy Syracuse Chiefs, bring its Triple-A team to Syracuse

[moqui]

in addition to the ease of travel, it will be much easier to judge young mets hitters in the international league than it was in the hit-happy pcl

 

[rrlbees]

I just hope more fans will come out and that they keep Jason smorol.

 

[retro44]

As a Met fan, this is something I have been pining for since I was a kid circa 1970. I think the Mets are second only to the Yanks in terms of local fans, and we know the Yankees are never coming here. This should help attendance and fan interest.

The downside is losing local ownership. There is strong competition for AAA franchises and other cities will try and convince the Mets to move their AAA franchise elsewhere.

Mets ownership is so cash poor and troubled, anything is possible. Syracuse has done a terrible job supporting the Chiefs for a long time. I hope that changes now. I know I will go to many more games now.

Wilpon's were a Madoff crony and cashed in on big with him only to have many local unions sue him to clawback a ton of cash and he had to under court order. He may not forget this either. They got off very easy in the Madoff deal too.

And that was not their first Ponzi scheme clawback either. They had to payback 13 million in another.

 

[Cusefan95]

Smartest thing the Mets have done in a while, having your farm team in Vegas made absolutely no sense.

They’ve been trying to get out of Vegas since they got banished there when Buffalo dumped them. It made no sense but they didn’t have another option work out before this.

 

[OttoMets]

Not yet mentioned, but best of all in the short term, it leaves Washington without a chair when the 2019 music stops. Nice strategic move leaving them stuck with Vegas. Or some other crappy option. Long term they'll wind up in Richmond, which was going to hurt Syracuse if we hadn't gotten the Wilson's' interest.

 

[bpo57]

Syracuse Chiefs were owned by the Yankees for a couple years in the 70's. It's too bad they went all in for Scranton a few years back, before Jason Smorol took over as the GM of the Chiefs.

More than a couple years. Nine to be exact. Several big name players came through Syracuse for the NYY. Guidry, Munson to name a couple.

 

[Chip]

Tebow time!

 

[DoubleDee]

Tebow time!

Oh yeah!

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[SWC75]

This is a dream come true for Mets fans. it remains to be seen if it's a dream come true for Chief's fans.

On the positive side, Mets fans get to see their prospects come up through here, as well as major league players coming back from injuries. Too bad they don't have the exhibition games between the AAA and major league teams any more. We won't see the Mets big rivals be full of ex-Chiefs players. Since the Mets will own the team they may want to give us a winner to draw fans to the ballpark. The fact that the Mets are on basic cable here and also the radio will connect the local fans to the major team in a way that we never had with the Blue Jays or Nationals. And, of course, there are more Mets fans in CNY that for any other team, (except the Evil Empire). The Mets, of course, will get a much mroe desirable location for their AAA farm team than Las Vegas. Did you know that the Chiefs were the Met's first ever triple A farm club back in 1962. I never understood why they didn't stick together. it seemed a natural. We would have gotten to see players like Tom Seaver, Darrell Strawberry, Dwight Goodwn, etc. come through here. When the next generation of such players arrives, it will be at Hancock Airport.

On the negative side, our baseball team will now be owned by the Wilpons, for which I have no respect. They signed players to deferred compensation contracts, (which is normally done to free up money to make the current team better so the deferred players can play on a better team), and gave the money to Bernie Madoff. The Mets recent salary dump was mostly for cash, which no doubt went into the Wilpon's pockets. They will do nothing that doesn't benefit their bank accounts. They may decide to have some front office hack run the Chiefs instead of Jaosn Smorol, who has done a great job here. But the biggest thing is that a community-owned team was anchored here, despite the fact that we are the smallest city in Triple AAA, that the Chief's teams have been mediocre or worse for decades and the crowds have been worse than that. The Green Bay Packers are community owned, which is why they are still the Green Bay Packers. No millionaire ever moved them to Milwaukee and then Arizona or some other place. The Mets seemingly had the right place in Buffalo but that went sour and they moved. But that was a working agreement, not ownership. If things went sour in Syracuse, they'd take our ballclub with them.

 

[shandeezy7]

But the biggest thing is that a community-owned team was anchored here, despite the fact that we are the smallest city in Triple AAA,

Actually, according to this guy's analysis of population and baseball teams, there are 6 AAA metro areas smaller than Syracuse:

1.) Toledo, OH
2.) Colorado Springs, CO
3.) Des Moines, IA
4.) Scranton Wilkes-Barre, PA
5.) Durham, NC (obviously counting the Durham metro only and not the Research Triangle)
6.) Reno, NV

Minor League Baseball Classifications Based on Population

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

If Tebow comes I'm tailgating.

For serious.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Mets to buy Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs

 

[SWC75]

Actually, according to this guy's analysis of population and baseball teams, there are 6 AAA metro areas smaller than Syracuse:

1.) Toledo, OH
2.) Colorado Springs, CO
3.) Des Moines, IA
4.) Scranton Wilkes-Barre, PA
5.) Durham, NC (obviously counting the Durham metro only and not the Research Triangle)
6.) Reno, NV

Minor League Baseball Classifications Based on Population

I've heard for years that we were the smallest city. They were probably using the city limits.

 

[shandeezy7]

I've heard for years that we were the smallest city. They were probably using the city limits.

If that were the case, then Allentown and Scranton would both be smaller cities than Syracuse. I suppose your point still stands though that Syracuse is one of the smallest markets in AAA baseball.

 

[Knicks411]

This is one of the few smart moves the Wilpons have made.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Briancuse]

I'm glad they brought Harvey, he can see his new home.

 

[nickp91]

So now that the Wilpons own the Syracuse Chiefs do the Nats pay them for the 2018 season?

 

[SWC75]

Politicans and the Wilpons have guaranteed it!

 

[Alsacs]

Not yet mentioned, but best of all in the short term, it leaves Washington without a chair when the 2019 music stops. Nice strategic move leaving them stuck with Vegas. Or some other crappy option. Long term they'll wind up in Richmond, which was going to hurt Syracuse if we hadn't gotten the Wilson's' interest.

Athletics are going to move from Nashville to Las Vegas.
I bet the nationals go to Nashville.

Atleast that isn’t 2000 miles away like Vegas.

 

[Bayside44]

Athletics are going to move from Nashville to Las Vegas.
I bet the nationals go to Nashville.

Atleast that isn’t 2000 miles away like Vegas.

I believe there is a direct flight from DCA t0 Nashville on American. And not all those distractions in Nashville that you have in the Cuse.