New York Mets Leaving Las Vegas: Team Cutting Ties With the 51s

The New York Mets are leaving Las Vegas. After five seasons of having the Las Vegas 51s as their top minor league team, the Mets are set to announce on Tuesday that they have bought the Syracuse Chiefs who will be their new AAA team.

The Mets, whose player development deal with the 51s runs through next season, have been looking to move their top team closer to home for several years.

Their AA team is located in Binghamton, New York and they have a A team – the Brooklyn Cyclones – that plays in Coney Island.

While the Syracuse team is currently affiliated with the Washington Nationals, their deal also ends after next season. That holds true with several other teams as well. There are expected to be several affiliation shifts over the next year.

The 51s, meanwhile, are expected to be looking at several changes. (For more information on Las Vegas stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The team fired its manager and hitting coach at the end of the season.

Their home stadium, Cashman Field, is considered one of the worst in AAA baseball and the team has been trying to negotiate a move to Summerlin.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is believed to support the move.

The Pacific Coast League, of which the 51s are members, have been pushing the team to build a new stadium as well.

The 51s are coming off one of their strongest seasons in terms of attendance. In 71 dates, the team saw a total attendance of 359,059 for an average of 5,037 per game.

Photo courtesy Las Vegas 51s