Family says it's no longer seeking to sell Washington Nationals

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The Lerner family, which two years ago announced it was looking to sell the Washington Nationals, said Monday it now intends to keep the Major League Baseball franchise for the foreseeable future.

Managing principal owner Mark Lerner told the Washington Post the effort to find a buyer for the Nationals is off for now.

"We have determined, our family has determined, that we are not going to sell the team," Lerner told the newspaper.

Lerner confirmed in April 2022 that his family was exploring their options for a sale of the team, which was then valued at $2 billion, up 4% from the previous year. That ranked the Nationals as the 12th most-valuable MLB franchise.

Maryland real estate magnate Ted Lerner, who died last year at age 97, bought the Nationals from MLB in 2006 for $450 million. He transferred daily team control to his son, Mark, in 2018.

The franchise began as a National League expansion team, the Montreal Expos, in 1969. The club remained in the Canadian city through 2004, after which it moved to Washington, D.C.

Ted Lerner painstakingly built the Nationals into a championship contender, resulting in a World Series victory in 2019. During the span, the team also won four National League East titles.

But the club has posted losing records during the last four years as it undergoes a slow rebuilding process that has involved trading away star players for young talent.

Last season the Nats finished in last place in the NL East with a 71-91 record, 33 games behind division winner Atlanta.