New York Post

Amazin’s, St. Lucie in $pat

- By KEN DAVIDOFF kdavidoff@nypost.com

PORT ST. LUCIE — Could the Mets depart this low-key Treasure Coast town that they’ve called their home away from home since 1988 and start anew elsewhere in Florida?

Probably not, but tension between the Mets and their Sunshine State host has created a second Mets-related deadline, this one having nothing to do with Jacob deGrom.

On Tuesday, the St. Lucie County Commission will meet to decide whether to green-light an additional $25 million — on top of the $55 million already committed — for a renovation of the Mets’ First Data Field complex.

If the commission doesn’t approve this, an industry source said, the Mets will pull out of the 25-year extension they signed in 2016 and explore the market.

“We are hopeful for a positive outcome on Tuesday,” the Mets said in a statement.

As first reported by the Treasure Coast News, the Mets have committed $2 million to the renovation project, which was supposed to be finished by now yet hasn’t even begun, and on Wednesday, the county asked the Mets for an additional $400,000 for maintenanc­e. The Mets haven’t agreed to that payment.

The Mets, with their hopelessly loyal fan base, do generate considerab­le business for this area and likely would appeal to other Florida towns willing to write them a gigantic check.

However, they have created quite a footprint here, with the owners having homes in the area, and the movement of other major league teams in recent years — most notably the relocation of the Nationals and Astros to nearby West Palm Beach — has made their current home more palatable in terms of Grapefruit League travel.

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