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SPRING TRAINING 2025 COVERAGE
Mark Learner Reaffirms Long-Term Commitment to the Nationals

In an interview with the Washington Post during Spring Training, Mark Lerner, speaking at Spring Training, Nationals owner Mark Lerner reaffirmed the Lerner family's long-term commitment to the team, emphasizing their passion and strategic vision. His comments covered both ownership philosophy and player acquisition, revealing a pragmatic approach to building a winning franchise. "Our commitment is to continue to go forward. [A sale is] not on the list of things we worry about. We’re excited about the team. We worked too hard to get it, and we love what we’re doing with it. And so, unless something different happens along the way, we’re in it for the long haul," Lerner declared, underscoring the family's dedication. He also addressed the team's ownership structure, explaining, "...But at the end of the day, it wasn’t worth the aggravation of having more partners and all that.

So we kept it, and we’re working hard to work out all the issues — MASN and everything else.” This highlights their proactive approach to problem-solving and willingness to confront complex issues like the ongoing MASN dispute.

Lerner's perspective on player spending further illustrates this strategic mindset. He described a calculated, rather than impulsive, approach to acquiring high-priced talent. When asked about the possibility of signing a player to a massive contract, he stated, "When Mike [Rizzo] calls me in and says, ‘We really need to think about it,’ for next winter, we’ll talk about it. Right now, he doesn’t think — and I agree with him: There’s no point in getting a superstar and paying him hundreds of millions of dollars to win two or three more games. You’ve got to wait until — like Jayson [Werth]. Jayson was right on the cusp of [the team] being really good, and it took us to the next level. That’s the ideal situation. It’s always on our mind.”

My take: It's difficult to get a complete picture of the Nationals' budget without access to the Lerner's financial records. Several factors seem to work against the team, but one major issue still stands out: the annual legal battles over broadcast rights revenue from MASN. This ongoing dispute is a significant problem. While it's easy to criticize the Lerners for not spending more on players, it takes two parties to sign a contract, as even Mike Rizzo recently pointed out regarding Kyle Finnegan.

Despite the challenges, I'm optimistic about the upcoming season. I'm excited to watch the young core of prospects and players develop into fan favorites, the kind of players whose jerseys kids and adults will proudly wear. That kind of excitement can attract other players, too. Winning teams attract talent. As Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recently said, "Winning team," Guerrero said. "That’s what I’ll be looking for in free agency. As you guys know, my dad played a lot of years. He never won a World Series. My personal goal is to win a World Series and give the ring to my dad." Like in "Field of Dreams," if you build it, they will come. It's time for the Nationals to build a winning team that players want to be a part of.

SPRING TRAINING COVERAGE 2025
James Wood hitting despite Quad Injury, DH Role Possible

Some interesting news coming out of Dave Martinez’s full-team workout press conference around Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood. According to Martinez, James Wood is dealing with Quad Tendonitis in his left leg, which prevented him from doing defensive drills today during the Nationals' first official full-team workout. He did do live BP. Martinez said that the team is taking a very cautious approach to Wood and not pushing him until he feels better. Martinez also didn’t rule out the possibility of Wood doing some DH’ing during upcoming Spring Training games to prepare him for Opening Day, which is the goal.

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SPRING TRAINING COVERAGE 2025
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SPRING TRAINING COVERAGE 2025
Spring Training Daily Headlines

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