Martin AustermuhleThe team is here, the stadium is to be built and the team will finally have a new owner — it’s all falling into place for the Washington Nationals.
WUSA-9 is reporting that a new owner for the orphaned Nats may be named as soon as Friday, and the team is likely to go to real estate mogul Ted Lerner. The news is based on two anonymous sources, though MLB Commissioner Bud Selig denies that he has made any decision on the matter. The bidding group led by Indianapolis radio tycoon Jeff Smulyan claims to have heard of the Lerner victory also, though not from MLB directly.
The then-Montreal Expos were bought by MLB in 2002 for a mere $120 million. As soon as bidding began upon their arrival in Washington, eight groups furiously lobbied to pay $450 million for the team, making the sale one of the most profitable in baseball history.
