The Mets’ plans for their new clubhouse in Port St. Lucie are wasteful, misguided

The Mets’ spring training complex is in the midst of a major renovation, and some parts of that renovation are already complete. Perhaps the biggest, shiniest new toy is the clubhouse, which was shown to the team’s beat reporters yesterday as pitchers, catchers, and coaches starting to arrive. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweeted some photos of the new digs, which look very nice, but also relayed the news from the Mets that the room would only be used for major league spring training. That means the High-A St. Lucie Mets won’t be allowed in that room during their regular season.

The logic behind that decisions, per DiComo’s tweet, is that the Mets are looking “to give minor leaguers a reminder of the status they’re working to earn.” And DiComo also tweeted out a photo of the renovated minor league clubhouse.

As is common knowledge at this point, minor league players make extremely little money, and being relegated to a lesser clubhouse when a much better facility is locked up within the same ballpark that they’re playing in seems awfully wasteful and unlikely to provide any extra motivation.

Ty Kelly, who spent parts of the 2016 through 2018 seasons with the Mets, summed it up nicely when he reacted to the news with his own tweet: “Tough to forget you’re in A-Ball when you’re rationing 2 plates of spaghetti for 25 guys after games but, sure, leather couches will go to their heads.” And P.J. Conlon, who has spent plenty of time in the Mets’ organization and made some major league appearances for the team, reacted with a tweet that included: “As if having 6 dudes living in a 2 bedroom apartment isn’t enough of a reminder that you’re in A ball.”

The Mets’ ultimate goal should be developing minor league players, and if it just so happens that the ones who are spending a full or partial season at the ballpark where the major league team conducts spring training, there’s no logical reason to lock them out of that room. If the renovation is beneficial for major league players practicing, how could it not be beneficial to minor league players who will spend half of their season showing up to the same ballpark?