The sale of the Baltimore Orioles to private equity billionaire David Rubenstein is over a week old now and some of the ripple effects of the eventual purchase have begun coming out. One of those ripples could majorly impact the Orioles’ neighboring MLB team, the Washington Nationals.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday that the Orioles changing ownership could allow the Nationals to retain their local TV rights for the first time since the franchise was placed in DC back in 2005. According to The Baltimore Sun’s Matt Weyrich, the Orioles doing so could even be a requirement for the MLB to ultimately approve the sale.
In the past, Manfred and the league have held their hands up and refused to mediate the issues the Orioles and Nationals have had with the two clubs’ MASN deal. Baltimore owns 77 percent of the network and disputes over how much Washington gets paid in broadcast rights fees have plagued both teams for over a decade.
Now, with the Angelos family out of the way, there is a belief that Manfred could exert influence on the new ownership group led by Rubenstein. Not only would the Nationals stand to massively benefit financially, but getting MASN out of the way could move along what has been a painfully slow and confusing sale process of their own.
Ted Leonsis, owner of the parent company that holds both the Capitals and Wizards, was reportedly in heavy talks to buy the Nationals from the Lerner family last year. According to the Sports Business Journal, a major impasse in those negotiations was the Angelos family’s refusal to part with MASN. Leonsis’ bid for the Nationals came as partners with Rubenstein so there is thought that conversations could reopen once Rubenstein takes full control of the Orioles.
TV rights are likely a huge topic of consideration for Leonsis given his ownership and establishment of the brand-new Monumental Sports Network from what once was NBC Sports Washington. Leonsis has seemed very keen on securing baseball for his network in the past, as it would give MSN the compelling summer programming that it currently lacks.
During Manfred’s recent press availability, the commissioner expressed a desire for the sale of the Orioles to move along quickly. Any sale of a team must be approved in a vote by at least 75 percent of the 30 MLB teams. MLB Spring Training is set to start in just 13 days.
