WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Lerner family is no longer exploring the sale of the Washington Nationals, Mark Lerner, the club's principal executive owner, told The Washington Post on Monday.
“NO. “We have decided, our family has decided, that we are not going to sell the team,” Lerner said.
Lerner said his family made the decision “some time ago.”
The news comes after nearly two years of uncertainty for Washington's MLB franchise, which won the World Series in 2019 but has been in a painful rebuild in the years since. In April 2022, Lerner announced that his family would explore a sale of the team, saying it was an “exploratory process, so there is no set timeline or expectation of a specific outcome.”
“Nothing has really changed,” Lerner said Monday. “We just decided it was neither the right time nor the right place for this. We are very fortunate to own the team and one day bring us a ring back.”
Mike Rizzo, the team's general manager, declined to comment, instead pointing to Lerner's statement.
It's worth noting that John Angelos — then the Baltimore Orioles' “controller,” a term MLB uses to describe the chief decision-maker for each team — said a season ago that he had no plans to sell the 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, a founder of private equity firm Carlyle Group. But for now, Lerner has made his family's intentions clear.
On Monday, the Nationals hosted a barbecue for fans to meet players and coaches at the team's spring training facility in West Palm Beach. Lerner was in attendance with his wife, Judy, and other members of the ownership group.
Some fans at the event expressed hope that the Lerners' decision would lead to spending on the big league roster in the future. Others were more skeptical.
“I'm hoping we can raise some money for quality players now,” said Phil Goldman, 71, who has had a season ticket plan since 2005. “I don’t know if it will be the same this year. But that's good. I enjoy having the Lerners as owners. I thought they did a good job.”
Does he think they will invest effectively in the team?
“Before a decision was made, I didn’t really expect it,” he said. “Now yes.”
Not every fan was so optimistic.
“I think they're probably due for some changes,” said Tom Carlon, 41. “I'm not sure they know what direction this team wants to go; if they want to spend or develop their young people. It's somewhere in between. I know they’ve gotten a lot of criticism in the past.”
The Nationals have had four straight losing seasons since their 2019 World Series title. In 2021, Washington began dramatically reshaping its team by trading top player 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 was provided with a wave of young talent that is in various stages of development throughout the organization. Catcher Keibert Ruiz and starter Josiah Gray, an all-star last season, came for Turner and Scherzer as part of the deal with the Dodgers. Left-hander MacKenzie Gore and shortstop CJ Abrams were part of the Soto trade. Washington's farm system is now led by Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, and James Wood, a 6-foot-6 outfielder.
Lerner's comments were brief Monday and some questions remain. Among the biggest: How much will the family financially commit to the team now that a sale is no longer considered?
In 2006, the Lerner family paid $450 million to buy the club from Major League Baseball, which had moved it from Montreal to Washington in 2005. Mark's father, real estate magnate Ted Lerner, transferred day-to-day management of the team to his son in 2018.
Spencer Nusbaum in West Palm Beach contributed to this report, which has been updated.