Nationals owner says team no longer for sale

As spring training begins, the Washington Nationals are off the auction block.

Mark Lerner, principal owner of the club, told the Washington Post on Monday that the Lerner family has decided against attempting to sell the Nationals. The news was confirmed to other outlets by a spokesperson.

The Lerner family announced in April 2022 it was exploring a possible sale of the club, which Forbes currently values at $2 billion.

Ted Leonsis -- whose Monumental Sports and Entertainment owns Washington's NBA, WNBA and NHL franchises -- was among the people reportedly interested in buying the Nats. Another would-be bidder, Maryland billionaire David Rubenstein, purchased the Baltimore Orioles last month along with Mike Arougheti.

Since winning the World Series in 2019, the Nationals have not returned to the playoffs, going 217-329 over the past four seasons while selling off star players like Juan Soto, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner.