Syracuse, N.Y. -- The New York Mets and Onondaga County have agreed to a lease extension that should keep Triple-A baseball in town through at least 2043.
The pact was announced at a press conference on Tuesday at NBT Bank Stadium, home of the team.
New York Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said lawyers are confirming the final details.
The Mets purchased the Syracuse franchise a year ago and operated the team in 2018, when it ran out the final season as the affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The Mets will put their prospects in Syracuse starting this spring.
The Mets originally inherited a lease that ran through 2025. But Onondaga County is closing in on a plan to make about $25 million in improvements at the stadium, a project that was contingent upon New York agreeing to extend its stay. The Mets' commitment, in turn, depended upon an agreement to upgrade the stadium. The two sides have been in agreement on many of the new lease details for several weeks.
Bill Fisher, deputy executive director for Onondaga County, recently said the entire renovation project will take about 18 months. He said some initial work might be done in time for opening day 2019, followed by perhaps the addition of an outfield concourse during the season.
Fisher also indicted at the time the lease would require that the Mets put a Triple-A level team in Syracuse, as opposed to one of a lower level. He said the pact would contain no out clauses and that if the Mets decided to break it they would be on the hook for millions of dollars in stadium improvement costs.