With news circulating about the potential purchase of the Baltimore Orioles by Baltimore native David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group, the ongoing saga involving the Nationals and MASN is once again thrust into the spotlight.

I feel like that I have written this type of article once before, oh wait I have.

The current situation has reached a point of absurdity, leading us once again to implore Major League Baseball and the Commissioner to exhibit leadership in resolving this mess. It is truly embarrassing. As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the Nationals' move to Washington D.C., the team continues to struggle for the financial compensation they rightfully deserve.

There's no need to delve into the history leading up to this point, but for those unfamiliar with the saga, here's a quick recap:

• When the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C., in 2004 to become the Nationals in 2005, issues arose regarding television rights for the new franchise. The Orioles agreed to share their home territory with the Nationals, allowing Nationals games to air on the Orioles' planned regional sports network, named the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN).
• Major League Baseball, the owner of the Expos-Nationals franchise from 2002 to 2006, paid the Orioles $75 million for a 10% stake in MASN, with the Orioles maintaining a controlling interest of 90%. The deal stipulated that the Nationals' stake in the network would increase by one percent per year to reach 33% over 23 years. At that point, ownership would be fixed at 67% Orioles and 33% Nationals.
• For the years 2012 to '16, MASN paid the Nationals $197.5 million, in line with the Orioles' proposal. However, in 2019, an arbitration committee appointed by the commissioner valued the Nationals' rights at $297 million, leading MASN to agree to pay the difference of about $100 million.
• The Orioles contested the process, but the New York Court of Appeals sided with the Nationals in a 6-0 decision in 2019.

• Earlier this year, according to the Washington Post, the Nationals and Orioles settled their dispute over the value of the Nationals’ local television rights from 2012 to 2016. However, the settlement did not put an end to years of fighting between the clubs. The two teams must now determine how much MASN owes for the next five-year period, from 2017 to 2021, and the overarching agreement giving the Orioles control over the Nationals’ TV rights remains in place.

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• A recent MLB Network interview with Jim Bowden of The Athletic revealed that the Nationals have not yet received the settled funds.

Despite attempts by The Nats Report to get responses from MASN, the Nationals, and Major League Baseball, no information or any response has been provided.

This leads us to the pressing question: When is enough, and could the sale of the Baltimore Orioles finally bring an end to this saga?

Yes, "craziness" is an appropriate term. It's embarrassing that Major League Baseball has allowed this saga to unfold unchecked.

According to MLB rules, a team's purchase must be approved by 3/4 of other franchises, excluding the affected club. Major League Baseball should mandate that the new owners of the Orioles, if the sale rumors are true, promptly settle the MASN issue and pay the Nationals the owed amount in full, putting an end to any further litigation.

This is a call to Major League Baseball to make this a condition of the team purchase and to finally bring closure to a saga that has significantly hindered the Nationals. Enough is enough, Major League Baseball.

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