The Mets Embrace Tradition, Again The Mets apparently have not heard the phrase, once bitten, twice shy. On Thursday, they announced that Tradition Florida, a real estate developer, would buy the naming rights to the Mets' spring training stadium in Port St. Lucie. The stadium was named Tradition Field until 2010, when Core Communities, the company that owned the Tradition residential development in Florida, stopped making payments to the Mets and St. Lucie County, which claimed that it was owed $100,000. Digital Domain, a special effects company, took over the naming rights, but last year that company got into financial trouble and also had its name removed. Enter Tradition Florida, the new owners of the residential development. According to the proposed deal that the St. Lucie County commissioners will vote on Friday, the company will pay $75,000 in 2013 for the naming rights, with payments increasing each year by the rate of inflation through 2017. There are options to continue the arrangement through 2023. The Mets and the county had previously received $100,000 in naming rights fees. Jeff Wilpon, the team's chief operating officer, call Tradition Florida an "iconic name" that "is familiar to Treasure Coast residents and Mets fans." The spring training facility was expanded last year to include an outdoor hospitality space in right field, a better scoreboard and a Tiki Bar on the third-base side. It is unclear whether the Mets' 2013 squad will represent an upgrade.