Nationals ownership makes big decision on potential sale

May 12, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A detailed view of the Washington Nationals logo on a weighted bat during the seventh inning of the game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

Not too long ago, it appeared that a sale of the Washington Nationals might be imminent. Now, it apparently will not be happening at all.

Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner said Monday that the Lerner family has decided against selling the Nationals after putting them on the market two years ago. Lerner said the family came to the decision “a while ago” and felt that it simply was not the right time to pursue a sale.

“Nothing has really changed,” Lerner told Andrew Golden of the Washington Post. “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.”

The Lerner family had announced the start of an exploratory sales process in 2022, and things went far enough that a potential winning bidder even emerged. However, even then there appeared to be some doubts about a potential sale, with big issues reportedly coming up in negotiations. One has to wonder if the recent sale of the Baltimore Orioles, who share a market with the Nationals, may have reinforced the decision not to sell.

The Lerner family purchased the Nationals from Major League Baseball in 2006, paying $450 million to buy the team a year after their move to Washington from Montreal. Forbes calculated the franchise’s value at $2 billion in 2023.