Washington Nationals fans react to report that owner has paused the process of selling the team: "Another year of them phoning it in, great"

The future of the Washington Nationals is uncertain. Team owner Ted Lerner has expressed interest in selling the team but has paused that process.

The reason for this pause is due to prolonged legal issues. The Nationals and Baltimore Orioles are fighting over ownership percentages on MASN, the regional sports network of which both teams share ownership.

The two sides disagree over the value of the rights that are owed to the Nationals. The case went to the New York State Court earlier this month, and a ruling is expected in the coming months on the $100 million in unpaid rights.

The situation isn't great for the Lerner family, who wants to move on from the team. The Nationals are reportedly $500 million in debt with little star power on their roster.

This isn't what Washington Nationals fans wanted to hear. They're ready for the team to start fresh.

Other fans have mentioned how fast the Nationals have fallen off. They won the World Series in 2019 against the Houston Astros. Now, they'll be lucky not to finish last in the division.

It may be a rough season for the Washington Nationals

There's not much to look forward to if you're a Washington Nationals fan. They play in a tough division and don't have much in terms of stars on their roster.

It was a punch to the gut for fans when the team traded Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres. These two players were a huge reason why people showed up to the ballpark in the first place.

While they may not be the most competitive baseball team at the moment, the future looks bright. They received a haul of prospects in the Soto trade. Fans can look forward to the development of prospects like CJ Abrams, Elijah Green, James Wood and Robert Hassell.

One player the fans can get excited about right now is Keibert Ruiz. Ruiz, the team's young catcher, signed an eight-year, $50 million extension earlier this month. He should get the majority of the work behind the dish this season. Many around the league expect a breakout season, as this will be his second full year.

While the Nationals are not expected to compete for much, fans have a couple of things to look forward to this season.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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