Triple-A Affiliate Plans Change To Name That Better Represents Community's Identity

The Triple-A team will keep its Mets’ orange-and-blue color palette and will remain affiliated with the New York team through at least the 2030 season. The Syracuse Mets name will remain in the 2026 campaign, and the team assured fans that their mascot, Scooch, isn’t going anywhere.

“We have been listening to fans over the years, and while so many love the Mets name and the connection to our MLB affiliate, there are so many that also long for a local connection to their hometown team,” said Syracuse general manager Jason Smorol said in a team news release. “2026 will mark the 150th year of professional baseball in Syracuse and we feel that it is the right time to usher in a new era of Syracuse Baseball!”

What represents Central New York?

So just what kind of name could represent the Syracuse area?

Maybe something that correlates to one of these Syracuse fun facts, courtesy of VisitSyracuse.com unless otherwise noted:

1. It has been named one of the nation’s “greenest” cities.

2.      It gets 114.3 inches of snow per year, on average, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

3.      Danny Biasone, who owned the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA, invented the 24-second shot clock following the 1953-54 season.

4.      The New York State Fair, which dates to 1848, is held each summer in Syracuse and is the oldest state fair in the U.S.

5.      A Syracuse man, Milton Waldo, invented the dental chair in 1840.

Syracuse Greens? Blizzards? Timers? Midways? Dentists?

Locals have plenty of creative choices, it seems.

Syracuse names past, forward plan

According to the Triple-A team, baseball in Syracuse has been played under these names: Stars, Chiefs and SkyChiefs came before Mets.

Ideas for new names are due Aug. 31 and can be entered on the Syracuse Mets website. On Sept. 2, the submissions judged to be in the Top 10 will be names will be revealed, with voting for 10 days. The list will be narrowed to five, with the voting occurring from Sept. 14 to 30.

There won’t be instant gratification, however. The new team name for the Mets affiliate won’t be announced until Fall 2026.