Nationals no longer for sale

Mark Lerner informed Andrew Golden of The Washington Post that the Lerner family has opted against proceeding with the sale of the Nationals. "We have determined, our family has determined, that we are not going to sell the team," Lerner stated, noting that this decision was made "a while ago."
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This announcement comes nearly two years after Lerner initially disclosed in April 2022 that the club would explore the possibility of a sale. "Nothing has really changed," Lerner remarked today. "We've simply concluded that now is not the appropriate time for such a move. We are content with owning the team and look forward to the day when we bring home a championship ring."

​Some observers had speculated that the lack of activity within the club was indicative of a potential sale. With a relatively clean payroll outlook, the Lerner family could have utilized this as an enticing feature to attract potential buyers, providing them with an opportunity to shape the future of the franchise. However, now that the sale is off the table, attention will refocus on the Lerner family and their strategy for steering the Nationals out of their recent decline. The team has endured four consecutive seasons below .500, and according to most projection systems, they are anticipated to rank among the league's weakest clubs in 2024.