Most significant stories of 2022: When will the Nats be sold?

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2022. We conclude the series today with the story that has hovered over the franchise since April: The Lerner family’s interest in selling the club …

Upon announcing the long-awaited sale of the league-owned Nationals in May 2006, then-commissioner Bud Selig made it clear why the Lerner family was so appealing to him.

“The family model meant a lot to me,” Selig said way back then. “I’ve seen the family model work, and it works well. There’s continuity. There’s stability. If you look back in our history, the family model works well.”

For 16 years, there was every reason to believe Selig was right about that. Ted Lerner, who was 80 at the time of the purchase, was the Nationals’ managing principal owner until 2018, when his son Mark took over. Together, they celebrated Washington’s first World Series title in 95 years the following October.

And at some point in the future, Mark Lerner figured to hand the reins of the franchise to his sons, Jonathan and Jacob, continuing the family legacy for another generation.

Then came a most unexpected revelation one week into the 2022 season: The Lerners were exploring a potential sale of the Nationals.

It caught everyone off-guard, including a number of high-ranking team employees who had no idea it was coming until Mark Lerner called them just before the news became public. And nine months later, it still looms large over the entire organization, which has been stuck in something of a holding pattern ever since while waiting to learn how this ultimately will be resolved.

Details of the sale process have been kept mostly under wraps throughout, but as 2022 comes to an end and 2023 beckons, this much is clear: It’s been a more complicated process than many hoped, and there are no indications a resolution is imminent.

The clearest evidence of that? In a Q&A session with members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America earlier this month, commissioner Rob Manfred was asked about the sale of the Angels franchise, which owner Arte Moreno only made public in August.

“My understanding is that the club would like to have the sale resolved by Opening Day,” Manfred said, “though that depends on the bidding process and how quickly they can get it done.”

Asked a few minutes later for an update on the Nationals’ sale, Manfred wouldn’t offer anything that resembled a comparable response: “I can’t even give you that much.”

As frustrating as this year was for the Nats, club employees at least took solace knowing the situation would get better once the sale was completed. But now they face continued uncertainty and the distinct possibility nothing will have changed by the time the 2023 season begins three months from now.

General manager Mike Rizzo entered the offseason unsure what kind of budget he had at his disposal. He finally got clarity on that as the Hot Stove League commenced, but all evidence to this point suggests he’s been instructed to keep costs way down.

The Nationals have spent a total of $19 million on three major league free agents so far this winter: $13 million to right-hander Trevor Williams on a two-year deal, $5 million to third baseman Jeimer Candelario and $1 million to re-sign reliever Erasmo Ramirez.

They’re still likely to spend some money on another hitter, most likely a corner outfielder, but even so, their financial output this winter will pale in comparison to previous ones. As things currently stand, the Nationals’ projected Opening Day payroll is about $96 million, with their projected 40-man roster used for luxury tax calculations at about $116 million. More than $59 million from those totals is going to Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin alone.

A franchise in year two of a massive roster rebuild probably wouldn’t be spending a whole lot of money on free agents this winter regardless, but the slow sale process does leave some employees worried it could slow down the long-term rebuild.

And what of the long-term status of the organization’s two most visible employees? Both Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez had their 2023 contract options picked up in early July, but now both are poised to enter a possible lame duck season with little way of knowing what will happen next.

A new owner surely would evaluate both men and ultimately make a decision whether to retain both, one or neither. But if that new owner still isn’t in place well into next season, how will the current ownership group handle the situation?

Such is life right now for anyone who works for the Nationals. Most assumed a new owner would’ve been selected by now, if not actually in charge. But as the calendar turns and a new year beckons with no resolution – and little indication when there will be any – this remains a franchise stuck in a holding pattern, anxiously waiting to learn what direction it will be taking whenever the dust finally settles.