Mets extend lease with Port St. Lucie for 25 years

St. Lucie County has agreed to extend the Mets’ spring training lease for another 25 years, cementing Tradition Field as the team’s spring training home for the long term. The extension also commits $55 million for renovations to the Tradition Field complex, ESPN reports.

Among the renovations are new major and minor league clubhouses, a new practice field, a connector for fans around the Tradition Field outfield, and a Little League/softball complex. The Mets are only on the hook for 35 percent of the renovations—$19.25 million—while the rest of the cost will be picked up by St. Lucie County (53 percent) and the state of Florida (12 percent).

The current lease, originally signed by the Mets in 2011, had been set to expire in 2023. Tradition Field has hosted Mets spring training activities since its construction in 1988. They’ll have new spring training neighbors starting in 2017, too, as the Nationals and Astros are set to open a new complex in the relatively-nearby West Palm Beach.