SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) - The New York Mets will stay in Syracuse for the next 25 years, thanks to a deal that will invest $25 million into Onondaga County’s NBT Bank baseball stadium. The deal includes a name change from the Syracuse Chiefs to the Syracuse Mets.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he anticipates the stadium will generate more business and tourism for the area.
Wearing his father’s Mets jacket, Cuomo said the late former New York Governor Mario Cuomo was a true Mets fan.
“And he is looking down today and he is so happy and so proud that the Syracuse Mets are coming to town and they’re going to be right here,” Cuomo said.
The state is matching Onondaga County’s $12.5 million investment into the stadium. It will include a new entryway, new seats, lighting, audio, upgrades to the club house and a reconfigured concourse and concessions. The city of Syracuse will also chip in $1.5 million for infrastructure improvements to the surrounding north side neighborhood.
Cuomo said the investment is emblematic of a new economy and energy in central New York.
“This doesn’t happen seven years ago," Cuomo said. "The New York Mets don’t spend $20 million for a team in central New York a few years ago. But this is a different central New York. This is a different Syracuse.”
In what could be one of her last public appearances with Cuomo, outgoing County Executive Joanie Mahoney thanked the governor for everything he’s done for the county. Mahoney said the deal was a long time coming.
"This community has been talking about getting a team like the Mets to buy our community baseball team for a lot of years," Mahoney said. "A $25 million renovation to this stadium and a brand new lease with the Mets to be here for the next 25 years, it's really a dream come true. It's the perfect way to end what has been a great partnership with New York State for the past 10 years."
Cuomo said Mahoney didn't just make promises, she made things happen, and is leaving the county and the city better than how she found them.