Mets won't let minor leaguers use clubhouse in new $57M facility, say they have to earn it
Even when the New York Mets do something nice, the team finds a way to immediately erase any goodwill. The Mets unveiled a brand new $57 million facility which features an upgraded spring clubhouse, but minor leaguers won’t be able to use it during the regular season.
The team says the spring clubhouse will be a motivating factor for Mets minor leaguers. It will be a reminder of what they can have if they succeed.
The most striking part of the Mets' $57 million spring training renovation may be the home clubhouse. The Mets are only using it for Spring Training, not for the St. Lucie regular season, to give minor leaguers a reminder of the status they're working to earn. pic.twitter.com/k1b3vTTkj3
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 10, 2020
As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com lays out, the new major-league clubhouse will only be used during spring training. The St. Lucie Mets — a Class A Advanced affiliate of the team — will not be allowed to use that clubhouse once their regular season begins.
The St. Lucie Mets will instead use the minor-league clubhouse. The Mets also upgraded that clubhouse during the offseason, though it doesn’t quite stand up to the one players will use in the spring.
For those asking, here's the St. Lucie regular season clubhouse. It's also brand new and quite nice, albeit much smaller than the spring clubhouse. pic.twitter.com/0ULuC6hul1
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 10, 2020
While investing in better clubhouses is a good thing, the team’s policy is needlessly evil. Most minor leaguers already have it rough. If you’re not a highly touted draft pick, you’re likely living paycheck to paycheck and making less than minimum wage.
Using the extravagant spring clubhouse wouldn’t solve those issues, but it would make life a little easier for Mets minor leaguers. They could enjoy the rare comfort of experiencing what it’s like to be in a major-league clubhouse. That comfort could go a long way, if not on the field, then at least mentally, where Mets players would know the organization was invested in them.
Instead, the Mets have created a scenario where a much better clubhouse exists, but it is intentionally being withheld from players as a motivational tool. The same team that has complained of payroll issues in the past has no problem spending $57 million on a facility that features a clubhouse that will be used for a month and a half.
The team did this under the guise that the Mets are a prestigious franchise where one must earn their spot, and not an organization that constantly gets exposed for being inept.
It’s almost too on-brand.
More from Yahoo Sports:
