• Economy
  • Investing
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Editor’s Pick
Market Gains Updates
Sports

Will MLB team go on market after long-running dispute finally ends?

by March 4, 2025
by March 4, 2025

Major League Baseball on Monday announced a settlement in the dispute between the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals regarding the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, an entity created to facilitate the Nationals’ move to D.C. yet one that hamstrung its ability to maximize revenues.

In announcing an end to the dispute, played out in courts and in MLB negotiations for the majority of the Nationals’ stint in the nation’s capital that began in 2005, MLB says the Nationals are free to pursue their own TV rights beginning with the 2026 season – a key development that may eventually facilitate the sale of the franchise.

MLB awarded the former Montreal Expos franchise to the Lerner family, which paid $450 million for it in 2006; the Nationals are now worth an estimated $2 billion, according to Forbes.

In 2022, the team said it would entertain offers to purchase the club, only for owner Mark Lerner to announce in February 2024, after tepid interest from potential buyers, that the club was no longer for sale.

Now, a significant hurdle to any sale has been removed. A potential suitor for both the team and its TV rights would be Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics owner Ted Leonsis, whose Monumental Sports and Entertainment broadcasts games on its regional sports network.

WOMEN’S SPORTS: The latest news and insider insights from USA TODAY Studio IX.

The MASN dispute, which involved more than a decade of litigation, took another twist in January when an MLB committee announced the Orioles would pay the Nationals $320 million for rights between 2022 and 2026. While financial terms were not disclosed, it would appear the final year of that agreement has been terminated.

MASN was created to mollify then-Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who forfeited territorial rights to the D.C. area in exchange for control of the Nationals’ TV rights. MASN is owned and operated by the Orioles, and disputes between the clubs over rights fee payments began almost immediately after the arrangement was in place.

Angelos’s family reached an agreement to sell the club to private equity baron David Rubenstein in January 2024; the elder Angelos died in March 2024.

Mark Lerner recently told the Washington Post that, after another winter with no major investments to the active roster, his family was ‘in it for the long haul’ now with the Nationals, ‘unless something different happens along the way.’

We’ll eventually find out if Monday’s settlement qualifies.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Stock up, stock down for 20 NFL draft prospects after combine
next post
Messi could join Argentina for matches vs. Uruguay, Brazil this month

You may also like

Messi makes MLS history with brace in Inter...

July 10, 2025

Yankees cut three-time All-Star, must pay him nearly...

July 10, 2025

Joey Chestnut vs. Usain Bolt: ‘Of course I’d...

July 10, 2025

Devin Booker agrees to record-setting extension with Suns,...

July 10, 2025

Cooper Flagg’s NBA Summer League debut ticket prices...

July 10, 2025

What Deion Sanders said at Big 12 media...

July 10, 2025

Ex-NBA player sentenced to 100 months in prison...

July 10, 2025

Former UFC fighter Ben Askren provides emotional health...

July 10, 2025

2025 NBA Cup groups announced: Which are easiest,...

July 10, 2025

New England vs. Inter Miami live updates: Messi...

July 10, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News And Articles.

    Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

    Top News

    Amazon extends Prime Day discounts to 4 days...

    July 9, 2025

    Boeing delivers most airplanes since late 2023 after...

    July 9, 2025

    Waymo offers teen accounts for driverless rides

    July 8, 2025

    Is a Chinese chain’s blood orange cold brew...

    July 7, 2025

    Is a Chinese chain’s blood orange cold brew...

    July 7, 2025

    • About us
    • Contacts
    • Email Whitelisting
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions

    Copyright © 2025 MarketGainsUpdates.com All Rights Reserved.

    Market Gains Updates
    • Economy
    • Investing
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • Editor’s Pick