Why are the Mets in Las Vegas?

[SWC75]

For decades the Mets had their Triple A team in Norfolk, VIringia. (At one time they called it "Tidewater"). A local kid named David Wright, became a fan was vowed he would one day play for the Mets.

Then they abandoned Norfolk and went to New Orleans. Nut they wanted their AAA team closer and chose Buffalo, (after considering Syracuse). It seemed like a natural set-up.

Then they suddenly left Buffalo for Las Vegas. I'm listening to a Met's pre-season game and the announcers are saying the Mets are unhappy that when they call a guy up, he's several time zones away.

Why the heck are the Mets in Las Vegas to begin with? Why leave Buffalo? Why leave Norfolk? It doesn';t make much sense.

 

[cmr27]

You're making this up. No east coast team would put it's farm team on the other side of the country. That would be totally irrational... But... the Mets

 

[SWC75]

You're making this up. No east coast team would put it's farm team on the other side of the country. That would be totally irrational... But... the Mets

The Amazing Mets:

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I think Buffalo kicked them out when their contract was up for renewal and signed with Toronto.

When the musical chairs stopped, only the Mess and Las Vegas were left over.

 

[Knicks411]

Jeff Wilpon is kind of a douche and ruined the relationship with Buffalo.

 

[TexanMark]

Syracuse did okay getting Washington...could've been worse. We have a winning franchise now.

However, the Mets were my 2nd choice after the Yankees for which MLB team the Chiefs should be aligned to.

Just a thought: Why couldn't we repurpose the baseball stadium to a racetrack (to replace the fairgrounds)? And build a ball park downtown?

 

[Bayside44]

It's terrible too, the climate is different, there is some high altitude baseball out west, doesn't replicate the NL East at all. Then again, it's the Mets.

 

[Knicks411]

It's terrible too, the climate is different, there is some high altitude baseball out west, doesn't replicate the NL East at all. Then again, it's the Mets.

It's an awful environment to develop young pitching in. But the Mets have been lucky so far, it seems.

 

[Symphony Steve]

The Mets are in Vegas in the hope that one of their players or coaches wins a bundle at the casinos. There is small print in each contract that transfers those funds to the Wilpons. (I know, I've got 'connections'.)

Hey, you gotta play every angle you've got...when you're crooked bankrupt owners.

 

[will6786]

Jeff Wilpon is kind of a douche and ruined the relationship with Buffalo.

yup ..plus buffalo wanted desperately wanted to affilate with toronto and they got there wish. so that forced homeless mets to vegas.. to bad wilpon is a douche and team didn't have the money to buy a team and build a ball park like the braves did..

 

[Knicks411]

yup ..plus buffalo wanted desperately wanted to affilate with toronto and they got there wish. so that forced homeless mets to vegas.. to bad wilpon is a douche and team didn't have the money to buy a team and build a ball park like the braves did..

they're too busy with the cyclones

 

[Hoo's That]

For decades the Mets had their Triple A team in Norfolk, VIringia. (At one time they called it "Tidewater"). A local kid named David Wright, became a fan was vowed he would one day play for the Mets.

Then they abandoned Norfolk and went to New Orleans. Nut they wanted their AAA team closer and chose Buffalo, (after considering Syracuse). It seemed like a natural set-up.

Then they suddenly left Buffalo for Las Vegas. I'm listening to a Met's pre-season game and the announcers are saying the Mets are unhappy that when they call a guy up, he's several time zones away.

Why the heck are the Mets in Las Vegas to begin with? Why leave Buffalo? Why leave Norfolk? It doesn';t make much sense.

The Mets were thrown out of Norfolk so Norfolk could pick up the Orioles (who had been in Rochester and then Ottawa). The Nationals inherited having their AAA team in New Orleans from Montreal. They didn't like having their AAA team in the PCL so they switched to Syracuse at the first opportunity. At one time the Nats were talking about improving the stadium in Richmond so they could have their AAA team there.

 

[OttoMets]

The Mets were thrown out of Norfolk so Norfolk could pick up the Orioles (who had been in Rochester and then Ottawa). The Nationals inherited having their AAA team in New Orleans from Montreal. They didn't like having their AAA team in the PCL so they switched to Syracuse at the first opportunity. At one time the Nats were talking about improving the stadium in Richmond so they could have their AAA team there.

I see this happening in the next decade.

Hoping against hope that Syracuse can support this ballclub and we can make a legitimate run at the Mets when that happens.

 

[Knicks411]

I see this happening in the next decade.

Hoping against hope that Syracuse can support this ballclub and we can make a legitimate run at the Mets when that happens.

I think it's the other way around. The Mets would love to be in Syracuse. If the Nats leave Syracuse I'm sure the mets would be all over it. (Then again, they are the Wilpons)

 

[OttoMets]

I think it's the other way around. The Mets would love to be in Syracuse. If the Nats leave Syracuse I'm sure the mets would be all over it. (Then again, they are the Wilpons)

I would love that; I'm conflicted about the whole thing:

- Live in Syracuse, want baseball in Syracuse to succeed, know that the club improved its situation last year but is still doing poorly and faces an uphill fight in improving attendance and image (and revenue).
- Big Met fan. Want them to play upstate. As much faith in Jeff Wilpon's decision-making as I have in Zack Wheeler's UCL.
- Wildly impressed with Washington organization as parent club despite my lack of Natitude and strong dislike for their club, fanbase, moronic mascot, and Rob Dibble.

In a perfect world, Syracuse could convince locals (and maybe Canadian shopping tourists, baseball-starved after the Lynx and Expos left?) that inexpensive baseball is worth paying money for, regardless of the stadium location. Improve the bottom line and make the club look like a good investment for the Mets in 2019, because I'm sure the Natinals will rightly recognize that they can continue to convert a generation of baseball fans by planting a flag in Richmond.

 

[Knicks411]

I don't know much about the situation for the team in Syracuse, but I know the Mets ended with very poor relations with Buffalo, which is why Buffalo basically kicked them out. It's imperative they get a better location than Vegas, both because it's so far away and because it's such a horrible environment for pitchers.

Wheeler; sigh. Such a bummer.

 

[sutomcat]

I don't know much about the situation for the team in Syracuse, but I know the Mets ended with very poor relations with Buffalo, which is why Buffalo basically kicked them out. It's imperative they get a better location than Vegas, both because it's so far away and because it's such a horrible environment for pitchers.

Wheeler; sigh. Such a bummer.

If I remember correctly, the Mets want to buy their AAA franchise, which is not really popular with the AAA teams out there. When they heard the Chiefs did not want to sell, they lost interest in locating here.

I think they overvalued themselves, thought they could get a better situation than Syracuse and ended up with an awful situation, getting stuck with Vegas.

Their AA franchise is in Binghamton, so having their AAA club an hour away (and both high level franchises an easy drive or short flight away) would be great for them.

I hope it happens. The Mets farm system is really good right now. It would be a great time to get affiliated with them. Washington has done right by Syracuse and has actually been a good situation for local baseball fans but the distance precludes this being a long term relationship. You have to believe the Nats will find a city closer to them to work with at some point.

It really stinks to have what is probably going to be the Mets biggest rival for the foreseeable future working with Syracuse. Let's hope a long term relationship with the Mets happens soon. It makes too much sense not too.

Also, I love Mark's idea to turn the existing stadium into a race track and build a ballpark downtown, where it should have been built a couple of times now.

 

[Knicks411]

I think now the Mets may be looking at buying a AAA franchise. I don't remember the exact timeline, but I think the team (read Jeff Wilpon) didn't cooperate well witht he Buffalo franchise; ie didn't give them an especially competitive team, didn't help them draw, etc. Then again, they own the Cyclones; not sure they're in a position to be owning 2 minor league teams.