Mets agree to purchase Triple-A Syracuse, Nats will need new affiliate in 2019

By Byron Kerr

Nationals

October 09, 2017, 12:27pm

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The Nationals will need a new Triple-A affiliate in 2019 because the Mets have reportedly reached an agreement to purchase the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, according to Syracuse.com.

The Nats have played their Triple-A games in Syracuse since 2009. The Chiefs have operated at a loss every season since 2006, except in 2010.

This means the Nationals will have one more season in Syracuse, through the 2018 campaign, before they will need to find a new Triple-A club. It would seem that the affiliate the Mets are leaving, Las Vegas, would be a difficult geographical choice with flights close to four hours from D.C.

It appears the Nats had staved off the Mets'interest in 2013 to move their Triple-A club to Syracuse. General Manager Mike Rizzo and the Nats re-upped with a four-year deal to stay in Syracuse in 2014, doubling the traditional two-year pact signed between major league clubs and their affiliates.

Could the Nats work out a deal where Richmond could switch out of its Double-A deal with the Giants and become a Triple-A affiliate for D.C.?

That would be a perfect choice, being only a 90-minute drive from Nationals Park. But that is not an immediate solution, as Richmond's deal with the Giants runs through 2020.

The Nationals had Triple-A relationships with New Orleans and Columbus prior to their 2009 move to Syracuse.