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It's Time to Resurrect the Montreal Expos... as the Mets AAA Team

August 19, 2012    
           
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(Charles Laberge/Getty Images)       

It appears that the Mets' woes on the field could have a ripple effect on baseball matters on the other side of New York State. As reported by ESPN, Buffalo Bisons manager Wally Backman has gone on record saying he believes the city will not renew their player development agreement with the Mets at season's end. His sentiment was later echoed by an unnamed source. This would signal the end of a four-year run for the Bisons as the Mets' Triple-A affiliate.

The Amazin's have had a difficult time maintaining their AAA ties in recent years. The Norfolk Tides parted ways with the big league club in 2006 after four decades. A two-year stint in New Orleans proved unsuccessful and highly inconvenient due to the distance between the Big Easy and Flushing.

If the Toronto Blue Jays would move their AAA team from Las Vegas to Buffalo, the Mets would then be relegated to Vegas. If New Orleans was geographically-challenging for the big club, imagine how absurd it would be for future Mets to go from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Las Vegas before making it to the show some 2,500 miles away.

With all due respect to Sin City, there is a much better option for the Mets, one that is ripe with history, symmetry and convenience. The Mets' new Triple-A affiliate should be the Montreal Expos!

The Mets and Expos have always had a unique relationship as division rivals. The two teams played in both the first and last game in Expos history. Both Montreal and New York have served as home for such franchise legends as Gary Carter and Rusty Staub. Few players have been as revered in two cities as "The Kid" and "Le Grande Orange." What better way to pay tribute to them than to bring baseball back to Montreal while also serving the needs of a team in The Big Apple?

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(Al Bello/Getty Images)         

The demise of the Expos was widely attributed to lack of attendance after the 1994 MLB Players Strike. This wouldn't be a problem if the Expos were to join the International League. Their average home attendance in 2004, their final season, was 9,356.

The current International League leader in home attendance is the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, who average 9,100 fans per game. Montreal may have lost a large portion of their fanbase by the end of their existence, but at their worst they would still be the biggest draw in Triple-A today.

Plus, the Mets have several fans in upstate New York who could take a day trip to see the future of the team. The proximity of Montreal to New York serves the best interests of both clubs in terms of talent exchanges. Less miles equals less travel time equals (unfortunately, it has come to this...) less of a financial burden for the Mets.

This is a move that makes sense for all parties involved, including Major League Baseball. They did Montreal no favors in its final years of struggle. They tried to contract the team, assumed ownership of the club and opted to have them play home games in San Juan, Puerto Rico before finally putting the Expos out of their misery via relocation to Washington, D.C. They would be wise to allow the rebirth of the Expos as a goodwill gesture.

Montreal might not be a major league city anymore. However, it would be a major PR coup to bring back one of baseball's fabled organizations in association with a team that could use all the positive PR it can get. 
 

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