The news comes after nearly two years of uncertainty for Washington’s MLB franchise, which won the World Series in 2019 but has been mired in a painful rebuild in the years since. In April 2022, Lerner announced his family would look into a sale of the team, saying it was an “exploratory process, so there is no set timetable or expectation of a specific outcome.”
“Nothing has really changed,” Lerner said Monday. “We’ve just decided that it’s not the time or the place for it. We’re very happy owning the team and bringing us back a ring one day.”
Mike Rizzo, the Nationals’ general manager tasked with reshaping the franchise on the field, declined to comment, instead deferring to Lerner’s statement.
It is worth noting that a season ago, John Angelos — at the time the “control person” for the Baltimore Orioles, a term MLB uses to designate the lead decision-maker for each team — said he was not planning to sell his franchise. But last month, the Angelos family agreed to a deal that would cede control of the Orioles to a group led by David Rubenstein. For now, Lerner has made his family’s intentions clear.
On Monday, the Nationals hosted a cookout for fans to meet players and coaches at the team’s spring training facility. Lerner attended with his wife, Judy, as well as other members of the ownership group.
Some fans at the event were hopeful that the Lerners’ decision would lead to spending on the major league roster in the near future. Others were skeptical.
“I hope now that we’ll be able to put some money up for quality players,” said Phil Goldman, 71, who has had a season ticket plan since 2005, the team’s first season in D.C. “I don’t know that it’s going to be this year, but that’s good. I enjoy having the Lerners as owners. I thought they did a good job.”
Does he think they’re going to invest in the team effectively?
“Before a decision [on a sale] was made, I didn’t really expect them to,” he said. “Now, yeah.”
Not every fan was so optimistic.
“I think they’re probably due for some change,” said Tom Carlon, 41. “I’m not sure if they know what direction this team wants to go, if they want to spend or develop their young guys. It’s somewhere in between. I know they’ve been getting a lot of flak previously.”
The Nationals have endured four straight losing seasons since their 2019 World Series title, D.C.’s first since 1924. In 2021, the Nationals began to dramatically reshape their roster, trading ace Max Scherzer and shortstop Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The next season, the Nationals sent superstar Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres.
In return, Washington has been infused with young talent that is in various stages of development. Catcher Keibert Ruiz and right-hander Josiah Gray, an all-star last season, arrived as part of the deal with the Dodgers. Lefty MacKenzie Gore and shortstop CJ Abrams were part of the Soto trade. Washington’s much-improved farm system is now headlined by outfielder Dylan Crews, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, and James Wood, a 6-foot-6 slugger acquired from the Padres.
Lerner’s comments Monday were brief, and questions remain. Among the biggest: How much will the family commit to the team financially now that it is no longer exploring a sale?
In 2006, the Lerner family paid $450 million to buy the club from MLB, which had moved it from Montreal in 2005. Mark’s father, real estate magnate Ted Lerner, transferred day-to-day control of the team to his son in 2018. Ted Lerner died last year at 97.
Spencer Nusbaum contributed to this report,…
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