On Friday, workers at the Mets’ spring training ground in Port St. Lucie, Fla., are expected to remove all signs related to Digital Domain, the animation company that held the stadium’s naming rights before filing for bankruptcy three months ago.
The Mets are now looking for a new sponsor for the stadium, owned by St. Lucie County. Digital Domain, which bought the naming rights in 2010 and had the rights through 2018, owed the county $100,000 this year for the rights and owed the Mets a similar amount.
But the county received only two of four required payments, with $50,000 still unpaid, according to Erick Gill, the county spokesman. It was not immediately clear how much the Mets received from Digital Domain and whether the team, too, is still owed money for 2012.
Gill said the loss of a naming rights partner would not hurt the county, because hotel taxes, which pay for the operation of the stadium and the bonds used to finance its construction, are higher than forecast this year.
Attendance at the stadium, which also hosts the St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League, has been strong, Gill said, and the county receives a percentage of parking and concessions revenue.
The impact on the Mets is less clear. They lost about $70 million in 2011, so every bit of lost revenue hurts. And this is not the first time a spring training naming rights partner has faltered.
Before Digital Domain, the Mets had a deal with Core Communities, which named the stadium Tradition Field, after one of its real estate ventures. But that deal was terminated after Core Communities failed to make its payments.
To generate more revenue, the Mets and St. Lucie County are also trying to lure a second major league team to Port St. Lucie for spring training.
That could require the addition of more offices and practice fields to the facility, which has already gone through several face-lifts. The county has hired a consultant to do a feasibility study.
JACKSON TO JOIN CUBS Edwin Jackson, who went 10-11 with a 4.03 earned run average for the Washington Nationals last season, agreed to a contract with the Chicago Cubs, a person in baseball with knowledge of the deal said. Jackson has a career record of 70-71 with seven teams. (NYT)
POLANCO HEADED TO MARLINS The former All-Star third baseman Placido Polanco agreed to a $2.75 million, one-year contract with the Miami Marlins, plugging the final hole in the team’s projected lineup following a payroll purge.
The 37-year-old Polanco battled injuries this year and hit .257 with 2 home runs and 19 runs batted in in 90 games with Philadelphia. (AP)
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/21/sports/baseball/mlb-roundup.html?partner=rss&emc=rss