Sign of hope for Commanders
WASHINGTON — The reaction in Washington, should Daniel Snyder follow through with a sale of the local NFL franchise, would be nothing but pure, unadulterated, dancing-in-the-streets glee. The Capitals and Nationals earned their parades down Constitution Avenue. But if Snyder sold the Commanders, wouldn’t there be a spontaneous gathering that spilled onto the National Mall before the ink was dry?
Last week, the impending sale of the Washington Nationals suddenly and dramatically became the second-most interesting potential sale of a D.C. sports franchise. The Commanders’ two-sentence statement introduced an idea that, for two decades, has seemed somewhere between completely unlikely and hell-frozen-over certainty: Daniel and Tanya Snyder hired a division of Bank of America “to consider potential transactions.” If a potential transaction means a flat-out sale, sign up everyone from Annapolis to Anacostia to Annandale. We’re all-in.
The Nationals’ sale is less straightforward and, at the moment, kind of perplexing. Not because Ted Leonsis, who owns almost everything else sporting-related in town, appears to be the overwhelming favorite to take over the baseball team from the Lerner family. Rather, because the sale brings up the anchor that has weighed down the Nats for their entire existence — the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, still controlled by the Baltimore Orioles. If negotiations around what revenue the Nationals will receive from MASN in the future are slowing down a transfer of power even a little bit — and they are — then an already painful rebuilding process feels as if it’s on pause.
To be clear, even if the Nationals knew who their owner would be next season and beyond, this isn’t the offseason to go gangbusters. The general managers’ meetings are this week in Las Vegas. The winter meetings are next month in San Diego. There is a commitment from longtime general manager Mike Rizzo and his front office not to repeat the hard-to-watch 55-107 disaster of 2022. But the 2019 World Series champs weren’t built overnight, and the next Nats contender — whenever it arrives — won’t be constructed completely this offseason. There are too many holes.
Even if you’re able to convince yourself that the trade of Juan Soto was necessary and that what seemed like a step back actually will help with steps forward — and I understand not everyone can reach that head space — this whole process is unsettling. During the first build of a contender, the town was just happy to have a team after 33 years without baseball, and most people here had no idea what it felt like to win. Now the fan base knows the entire experience — the scars that come from postseason disappointments, the payoff when everything falls into place.
Does all that mean the people who built the first winner, Rizzo and his staff, deserve the chance to do it again? Or are fresh eyes and fresh voices a better remedy? In some ways, it’s pointless to ask those questions when you don’t know who’s providing the answer. The Lerner family picked up options for both Rizzo and Manager Dave Martinez for 2023. It could well be Leonsis who will decide their fates beyond. There’s some built-in lame-duckness to all of it, and it’s hard to see how that wouldn’t impede progress, even a little.
The particulars for the Nats — who owns the team, who runs the team, who manages the team — really matter. Not knowing who’s in charge next year at this time — or even a month from now or four months from now — brings with it a little bit of paralysis. Maybe not internally, where the front office may well make a number of one-year signings that could prop up the current roster and let the new core develop around them. But externally, where it’s impossible to articulate a long-term vision that will be executable.
Think about how different the entire scenario is on the Commanders’ side. Longterm vision? Who’s the owner? Who’s the GM? Who’s the coach?
Who cares?
If the answer to “Who’s the owner” is “Not Snyder,” there will be unbridled joy in Mudville. Commanders fans would walk barefoot over hot coals to reach a point at which someone else owns the team. Jeff Bezos or Byron Allen. Matthew McConaughey or Mat Ishbia. Jay-Z or — who cares? — Dr. J. The important part isn’t who it is but who it isn’t.
There are day-to-day questions about the Commanders, for sure. Should Carson Wentz play as soon as he’s healthy, or will Taylor Heinicke earn the right to remain the quarterback? Will Chase Young return to play and make an impact? Is Ron Rivera the right person to build a winner?
Those are all legitimate debates with varying degrees of interest and importance. But add those up with the next 20 most important queries about the state of the 2022 Commanders, and they still pale in comparison to the weight of the following: Will Snyder actually sell the team? Doesn’t matter how long it takes. Doesn’t matter who the eventual winner is. As long as a sale is happening, we will hold the phone — and happily. Whatever comes next can’t be worse than what’s past.
The Nationals’ past is actually much better than their present, and their future seems plain unknowable. There was a time, not so long ago, when each Nationals offseason was met with anticipation. They signed Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche going into 2011. They traded for Gio Gonzalez before 2012, Denard Span before 2013 and Doug Fister before 2014. They signed Max Scherzer before 2015. Each move felt like a piece to help now and in the future.
The moves this offseason? There won’t be anything comparable, nor should there be, not yet. The win total needs to bump up next summer, and it would be best if that’s on the backs of CJ Abrams, Luis García, MacKenzie Gore, Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli — the young, controllable players who could be the new Ryan Zimmerman-Ian Desmond-Jordan Zimmermann-Stephen Strasburg core of the past.
But the ownership change, if indeed there is one, is the move that trumps all others in importance, and it’s not close. A potential Commanders sale brings excitement and anticipation on the face of it. The Nats sale may well bring promise and progress. As the offseason begins, that’s just not clear.