With the news breaking Monday that the Lerner family has begun exploring the possibility of selling the Washington Nationals, one well-known potential buyer could already be at the front of the line, according to Jason Bishop of The Sports Junkies.
"I was told by a reliable source that the Nats ownership, the Lerners, were in discussions with someone we all know about selling the Nats to this person," Bishop said Tuesday morning on 106.7 The Fan.
"Who? Bezos?" Eric Bickel asked.
"Nope," Bishop said. "The one and only... now, this guy could be front and center. He could be first in line. Ted Leonsis."
"Oh, really," John Auville said. "That is... I would consider that a bombshell, too."
Leonsis is already the majority owner of the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics, serving as chairman, principal partner and chief executive officer of ownership group Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
"Now, I think Ted [Leonsis] and Mark Lerner already have some sort of a business partnership," Bishop said. "Mark Lerner might be maybe a minority owner of Monumental, but there is already a business relationship. But the person that I heard this from is a very reliable source. I'm not gonna say the name, but it's someone who used to work with the Nats."
"I'm not saying it's imminent," Bishop added. "I'm just saying I was told that there have been discussions between the Lerners and Ted [Leonsis]."
Mark Lerner — who took over as managing principal owner of the Nationals from his father, Ted Lerner, in 2018 — is indeed also a minority partner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post reported Monday that the Lerners, who have owned the Nationals since 2006 when purchasing the club from Major League Baseball, have begun the process of "exploring potential changes" in the ownership structure of the Washington Nationals, including "the possibility of selling the team."
Nationals managing principal owner Mark Lerner told The Post that the family has hired New York investment bank Allen & Company to research potential investors, and possibly buyers, for the club. It's the same investment bank that managed the sale of the New York Mets to Steven Cohen, who purchased the MLB club for $2.4 billion in 2020, as well as the NFL's Carolina Panthers in 2017. Allen & Company has also recently been hired to manage the sale of the Denver Broncos.
"As revenue streams around professional sports continue to evolve and the strength of the Washington Nationals brand continues to grow, the team believes it is prudent to assess all of the options out there," Nationals team spokeswoman Jennifer Giglio told The Post.
The team said no options have been eliminated, Svrluga went on to write. Though a full transfer of ownership is possible, the Lerners also could bring on additional partners, Giglio said.