The Washington Nationals are free to find their own TV deal with the MASN dispute being settled
At long last, the Washington Nationals MASN nightmare is over. Early this morning, the Nationals and Orioles finally came to a resolution on the MASN battle that had been raging on for years. The Nationals will finally be allowed to find their own TV rights starting next season.
The Baltimore Orioles have been holding the Nats TV rights hostage for their entire existence, until now. This is a massive day for the organization that will have massive ripple effects for years to come.
It also comes with a lot of questions. Where are the Nationals going to go to find a TV deal? Does this re-open the door for a potential sale? Where do Monumental Sports and Ted Leonsis fit in all of this?
Despite all the questions, today is a joyful day for Nationals fans. Before this an MLB panel had already cut the Nats TV rights, and the situation was getting messy. The “small market” Orioles were dominating the big market Nationals TV revenue. It also created a lot of tension between the organizations.
Now finally, the Lerner family will have a potential influx of cash. It also takes away an excuse not to spend. If the Nationals get a good TV deal, payroll has to rise. There is now no excuse not to spend big in 2026 to turn this young promising team into a contender.
Alongside this, even more money is going to be coming in because the Nats finally decided to sell the stadium naming rights and add jersey sponsorships. Today is one of the biggest days in Washington Nationals history. There have not been a ton of wins since the 2019 World Series, but this is a massive one.
The Washington Nationals finally control their own destiny and are not having their TV rights held hostage. It is now on the Lerner family to get a good deal and do what it takes to make this team a World Series contender again. It is an unpredictable media landscape, but the Nationals owning their TV rights is still a massive step forward and should be celebrated.