Author Topic: The Nats are...For Sale?!?  (Read 26564 times)

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Offline hotshot

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #400: October 05, 2022, 01:37:47 PM »
Sure, and I want a threesome with Gianna Michaels and Angela White.

What you're describing is a unicorn. You want a fan who became a billionaire. And that normally doesnt happen. Billionaires become billionaires because they invest money reasonably well, not spend on a fantasy or toy.
Happened with Steve Cohen for the Mets. And, I guess you could include Toronto under Ed Rogers' ownership up in Toronto.

Haven't we heard Bezos' named mentioned with this sale (or am I dreaming)? He certainly could qualify as "that guy." Might be a unicorn hunt but what's wrong with dreaming big.

Also, while being thrifty is a part of WHY people have mega-bucks, the fact is most of these individuals would not be satisfied with anything less than a World Series Championship or three. They wouldn't be buying as an investment (although they'd probably end up making more money too).

Offline Slateman

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #401: October 05, 2022, 01:59:25 PM »
Rogers hasnt spent crap in Toronto.

Only on here has anyone mentioned Bezos.

Cohen is a unicorn.

Clearly, most owners are satisfied without winning a WS

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #402: October 05, 2022, 02:08:24 PM »
Rogers hasnt spent crap in Toronto.

Only on here has anyone mentioned Bezos.

Cohen is a unicorn.

Clearly, most owners are satisfied without winning a WS

Cohen grew up a mets fan. I doubt anyone who grew up a Nats fan has that kind of money yet

Offline Slateman

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #403: October 05, 2022, 02:14:23 PM »
Cohen grew up a mets fan. I doubt anyone who grew up a Nats fan has that kind of money yet
The Lerners were big time DC sports fans. Allegedly.

Probably be another 20 years before any childhood Nats fan has that kind of money.

Not sure why we're holding Cohen and the Mets in such high regard. They just choked away a 10 game lead

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #404: October 05, 2022, 02:17:46 PM »
Cohen grew up a mets fan. I doubt anyone who grew up a Nats fan has that kind of money yet
More likely, the kid who grew up a Nats fan is now a staffer on House Ways and Means who is pretty psyched about getting 4 lines written into the internal revenue code.

Offline PowerBoater69

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #405: October 05, 2022, 02:25:13 PM »
Cohen grew up a mets fan. I doubt anyone who grew up a Nats fan has that kind of money yet

Ted Lerner grew up a Senators fan. So we need Boomers or Gen Z, no Gen X.

Offline hotshot

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #406: October 05, 2022, 08:28:39 PM »
Not sure why we're holding Cohen and the Mets in such high regard. They just choked away a 10 game lead
I don't think they'll do it but the Mets could still win the WS (if DeGrom and Scherzer pitch like they are capable of doing). Or, they could be swept by the Padres this weekend.

Let's face it, in terms of ownership, roster, manager, farm system, etc., the Mets might as well be on another planet from the Nats. When today's loss is final, we're finishing 46 games behind them. There's a lot of uber-wealthy people who aren't household names out there. All potential unicorns. How many here had even heard of Steve Cohen before the Mets were sold to him?

The extreme competitiveness of the NL East is yet another reason we should hope for a Steve Cohen-like owner. Bezos owns the Post and the DC area "won" his nationwide competition for Amazon expansion so I'd say he clearly has an affinity for the area. He also seems to have interest in owning a team. His type of businessman/billionaire would seem so competitive that he wouldn't be satisfied fielding anything but an annually competitive team.

Offline PowerBoater69

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #407: October 05, 2022, 09:21:45 PM »
Behind door A, the sale is completed in 2022, the new owners take over while plenty of free agents remain on the board and start spending freely in order to jump start season plan sales. The team has a 20-30 win improvement.

Behind door B, the sale drags on into the 2023 season. The Lerners keep payroll low and don't approve contracts that extend beyond 2023. Free agents see a last place team with uncertain management and stay away. The lineup and rotation are even worse than this year.

Offline CowherPower

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #408: October 05, 2022, 11:24:18 PM »
Behind door A, the sale is completed in 2022, the new owners take over while plenty of free agents remain on the board and start spending freely in order to jump start season plan sales. The team has a 20-30 win improvement.

Behind door B, the sale drags on into the 2023 season. The Lerners keep payroll low and don't approve contracts that extend beyond 2023. Free agents see a last place team with uncertain management and stay away. The lineup and rotation are even worse than this year.

Of the two choices, sadly I'd bet on Door B.  There's no way Ted is closing on this deal unless the MASN trainwreck is cleared up, and I just don't see that happening any time soon.  Looks like we might be in for another horrible season, but hey, at least we might get a 16.5% shot at the #1 pick in the 2024 draft like we have in the 2023 draft!   :smh:

Offline PowerBoater69

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #409: October 06, 2022, 07:30:16 AM »
Of the two choices, sadly I'd bet on Door B.  There's no way Ted is closing on this deal unless the MASN trainwreck is cleared up, and I just don't see that happening any time soon.  Looks like we might be in for another horrible season, but hey, at least we might get a 16.5% shot at the #1 pick in the 2024 draft like we have in the 2023 draft!   :smh:

I'm definitely starting to shift from sunshine to doom on my 2023 outlook. But I don't know if the MASN deal will slow the sale, the team is worth two billion without the TV rights and the groups bidding now want to buy now not next year.

Offline Slateman

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #410: October 06, 2022, 07:46:58 AM »
Clearing up the MASN bullcrap would be the silver lining to a Keonsis-led ownership group.

Offline hotshot

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #411: October 06, 2022, 08:02:05 AM »
Clearing up the MASN bullcrap would be the silver lining to a Keonsis-led ownership group.
How long has this MASN thing been dragging on now? Seems like decades. What is the key to unlocking a workable settlement? Is there one main issue to be solved, or many? Seems like no urgency exists on either side.

Offline machpost

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #412: October 06, 2022, 08:28:03 AM »
Bezos owns the Post and the DC area "won" his nationwide competition for Amazon expansion so I'd say he clearly has an affinity for the area. He also seems to have interest in owning a team. His type of businessman/billionaire would seem so competitive that he wouldn't be satisfied fielding anything but an annually competitive team.

That's fine, as long as they don't try to use amazon.com as the model for customer service and the treatment of employees at Nats Park.

Offline Slateman

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #413: October 06, 2022, 08:45:00 AM »
I don't think they'll do it but the Mets could still win the WS (if DeGrom and Scherzer pitch like they are capable of doing). Or, they could be swept by the Padres this weekend.

Let's face it, in terms of ownership, roster, manager, farm system, etc., the Mets might as well be on another planet from the Nats. When today's loss is final, we're finishing 46 games behind them. There's a lot of uber-wealthy people who aren't household names out there. All potential unicorns. How many here had even heard of Steve Cohen before the Mets were sold to him?

The extreme competitiveness of the NL East is yet another reason we should hope for a Steve Cohen-like owner. Bezos owns the Post and the DC area "won" his nationwide competition for Amazon expansion so I'd say he clearly has an affinity for the area. He also seems to have interest in owning a team. His type of businessman/billionaire would seem so competitive that he wouldn't be satisfied fielding anything but an annually competitive team.
Mets blew a 10 game lead and have "won"  a WC spot. Talk to me when they win a pennant. Or even have sustained success in the division.

Bezos grew up in Houston and Miami. He currently lives in Washington state but has homes everywhere. He bought the Post because it was the largest, most respected news outlet available, not because he likes DC. The DC area became a focal point of HQ2 largely to handle all the cloud computing that the Federal government is expected to adopt over the next decade.

All reports are that Bezos wants an NFL team. If he wanted the Nationals, he would have been in on them.

Of the billionaires that would be DC natives, only Jacqueline Mars has the money to compete with Steve Cohen.

Leonsis is the closest you're going to get to a DC sports fan billionaire.

Like I said, Cohen is a unicorn in sports. The vast majority of teams are run like businesses by people who view them as a hobby or status symbol

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #414: October 06, 2022, 09:29:00 AM »
How long has this MASN thing been dragging on now? Seems like decades. What is the key to unlocking a workable settlement? Is there one main issue to be solved, or many? Seems like no urgency exists on either side.
Need the Orioles ownership to come to the table for a reasonable solution. That might men necessary now as they want to sell their team. No one will want to buy them with the outcome  unknown.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #415: October 06, 2022, 09:30:36 AM »
Need the Orioles ownership to come to the table for a reasonable solution. That might men necessary now as they want to sell their team. No one will want to buy them with the outcome  unknown.

I don't see why the O's would want to come to the table at all. The current solution works fine for them   

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #416: October 06, 2022, 09:36:19 AM »
I don't see why the O's would want to come to the table at all. The current solution works fine for them
There is a risk it will be settled in favor of the Nats in the future.  It's bad publicity in general and will cause tension with Manfred and other MLB owners. 

Offline nfotiu

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #417: October 06, 2022, 09:50:27 AM »
There were reports several years ago that the O's offered a settlement that would escalate to paying the Nats 100 million/year after 10 years (I think).    They should have taken it.

It's close to a billion dollars between rights fees and ownership stakes that are in limbo.   That seems like a significant number if trying to sell a team for 2 billion.

Making this all a bigger mess, I'd imagine is the uncertainty of the RSN that covers half the MLB teams and whether they'll go under or get bought out by the MLB.   The MASN escalation cause is based on what other teams are getting and how that plays out will make that determination even more messy which will drag things on further.
 
I can't imagine this situation is that great for the Os either.  They have a lot of uncertainty of what their financial picture looks like because of this mess and a lot of the money is set aside in escrow, and the legal fees have got to be signicant.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #418: October 06, 2022, 09:53:56 AM »
There were reports several years ago that the O's offered a settlement that would escalate to paying the Nats 100 million/year after 10 years (I think).    They should have taken it.

It's close to a billion dollars between rights fees and ownership stakes that are in limbo.   That seems like a significant number if trying to sell a team for 2 billion.

Making this all a bigger mess, I'd imagine is the uncertainty of the RSN that covers half the MLB teams and whether they'll go under or get bought out by the MLB.   The MASN escalation cause is based on what other teams are getting and how that plays out will make that determination even more messy which will drag things on further.
 
I can't imagine this situation is that great for the Os either.  They have a lot of uncertainty of what their financial picture looks like because of this mess and a lot of the money is set aside in escrow, and the legal fees have got to be signicant.
Good points.  Legal fees are costly as you say.  It just seems risk for any new owner of either franchise. 

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #419: October 06, 2022, 10:04:41 AM »
I don't see why the O's would want to come to the table at all. The current solution works fine for them   
MASN would be most valuable to Leonsis due to his other teams. He'd have a ton of content.  I think the Os max their value by cutting a deal with Leonsis.  I think their team is unsaleable with the potential for a massive liability or bankruptcy for MASN.  Too many arbitrators have ruled against the Os on the merits to not think that there's a real exposure for a buyer. Angelos can get a good deal for the Os broadcast rights from Leonsis as part of a settlement, and suddenly the value of the Os goes up. Peter is old and his sons are at each others throats. This might be a clean way to get out relatively quickly. 

Offline nfotiu

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #420: October 06, 2022, 10:12:17 AM »
If both owners could stop being petulant and emotional, they could probably work out a pretty easy settlement that subtracts expenses from revenue every year and splits it around 55-45 in the Os favor.   The Os feel they were promised some compensation with the 66/33 ownership after paying both teams equal rights.   When the teams agreed to it in the beginning, I imagine they predicted it would settle around a 55/45 ratio when adding rights fees and income from MASN.   Making it a defined split would make a soft landing as MASNs subscriber numbers dwindle and would make for a clearer picture of the future for both teams going forward.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #421: October 06, 2022, 10:41:58 AM »
 New owners will work out a deal for reasons you state. Just too much animosity between the current owners.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #422: October 06, 2022, 10:43:01 AM »
MASN would be most valuable to Leonsis due to his other teams. He'd have a ton of content.  I think the Os max their value by cutting a deal with Leonsis.  I think their team is unsaleable with the potential for a massive liability or bankruptcy for MASN.  Too many arbitrators have ruled against the Os on the merits to not think that there's a real exposure for a buyer. Angelos can get a good deal for the Os broadcast rights from Leonsis as part of a settlement, and suddenly the value of the Os goes up. Peter is old and his sons are at each others throats. This might be a clean way to get out relatively quickly.
Agree. My impression is that Peter is incapacitated and the one son is running things.

Offline hotshot

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #423: October 06, 2022, 01:46:16 PM »
Mets blew a 10 game lead and have "won"  a WC spot. Talk to me when they win a pennant. Or even have sustained success in the division.

Bezos grew up in Houston and Miami. He currently lives in Washington state but has homes everywhere. He bought the Post because it was the largest, most respected news outlet available, not because he likes DC. The DC area became a focal point of HQ2 largely to handle all the cloud computing that the Federal government is expected to adopt over the next decade.

All reports are that Bezos wants an NFL team. If he wanted the Nationals, he would have been in on them.

Of the billionaires that would be DC natives, only Jacqueline Mars has the money to compete with Steve Cohen.

Leonsis is the closest you're going to get to a DC sports fan billionaire.

Like I said, Cohen is a unicorn in sports. The vast majority of teams are run like businesses by people who view them as a hobby or status symbol

I'm not a fan of Bezos himself, just his money and his (as yet unknown and unproven) commitment to spend it.

Don't you think Leonsis is spread too thin already, what with both the Wizards and Caps? To now also own the Nats just seems too much.

I'd also want to believe if Ted owned all three franchises, the Nats would come first in terms of his attention and focus. Given his long-time association with the Caps and Wizards, though, I'm worried the Nats would be his third priority.

Offline Slateman

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Re: The Nats are...For Sale?!?
« Reply #424: October 06, 2022, 02:37:56 PM »
Leonsis is fairly hands off. My complaints about him are an unwillingness to make changes in a front office and his organizations have failed to develop talent.