The Washington Nationals will remain under the ownership of the Lerner family after all, as managing principal owner Mark Lerner said Monday the family will continue to run the team. News of the Lerner family’s decision was first reported by the Washington Post.
“We have determined, our family has determined, that we are not going to sell the team,” Lerner told the outlet. He added that the family made its decision “a while ago.” A family spokesperson confirmed those quotes to MLB.com.
The family had sought to sell the team as far back as early 2022. Later that year, a group led by Ted Leonsis — who owns the Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics — emerged as a front-runner to purchase the baseball franchise.
Lerner at the time said “this is an exploratory process, so there is no set timetable or expectation of a specific outcome.”
The Nationals have been mired in a stretch of four straight losing seasons since winning the World Series in 2019. Stars from that championship run — including Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon — have left the franchise since.
The Nationals were purchased in 2006 by Ted Lerner for $450 million. Lerner bought the team from the MLB, which had relocated the club from Montreal the year prior. Ted, who died in 2023, transferred day-to-day control of the club to Mark in 2018.
The nearby Baltimore Orioles were the most recent MLB franchise to be sold, as businessman David Rubenstein reached an agreement to purchase the team for $1.725 billion.
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