Ted Robinson

After relocating from Montreal at the start of the 2005 season, the Washington Nationals were a success both as a team and as a business.

But they are in danger of having all of their gains dissipated because of the delay by Major League Baseball in selling the team.

Lease a sticking point
Since 2002 this franchise has been owned by the other 29 MLB clubs. It's up for sale, and at one point eight groups were interested buyers. But MLB won't sell the team until a lease for a new stadium is finalized. And that process has dragged out.

The Council of the District of Columbia must approve the lease before construction can begin on the new stadium, but on Dec. 20 it postponed a vote on the lease agreement after those on the 13-member council who favored it didn't think they had enough votes to pass it.

Last year the council approved by a 7-6 vote $535 million in public financing for the stadium, but with there expected to be cost overruns, and with the council having three new members, sentiment has changed, and that's created the impasse over approving the lease agreement.

MLB owner paid $120 million to buy the franchise, and it's selling price is $450 million -- but that's with a lease agreement that would be very favorable to the Nationals in terms of their end of the stadium financing, and also in terms of the revenue generated by the stadium that the team would get to keep.

So MLB is waiting on the lease agreement it desires before picking a buyer, but in doing so the Nationals have obviously been hamstrung in making moves this winter. They didn't even get an approved budget for 2006 from MLB until recently.

At a competitive disadvantage
The uncertainty over ownership and budget didn't help the Nationals, who lost pitchers Hector Carrasco and Esteban Loaiza to free agency, and dealt away outfielder-first baseman Brad Wilkerson to Texas for Alfonso Soriano.

Nationals general manager Jim Bowden had an interest in signing free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett, but by the time Bowden got permission from MLB to make Burnett an offer, the pitcher was all but signed by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Flying on the hardwood, racing on the rink, getting physical on the gridiron, and much more. more photos

Basically the fans of Washington delivered a glorious honeymoon year for the Nationals, who drew more than 33,000 fans a game -- 11th best out of 30 MLB franchises. The club turned a profit, and I think fans of the Nationals expected to see some progress with the team and the new stadium this winter.

The Nationals need an ownership group with substantial local involvement to ensure the fans stay on board. Right now, with MLB delaying the sale, I don't know what the fans' emotions will be like in 2006 in Washington.

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