Former Nationals Principal Owner Ted Lerner Dies at Age 97

Ted Lerner, the former principal owner of Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals, has died at age 97.

A team spokesperson confirmed Lerner's passing to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. Svrluga noted Lerner, a real estate magnate in Washington, D.C., purchased the Nationals in 2006 from MLB.

Adam Bernstein and Matt Schudel of the Washington Post wrote that purchasing the Nationals "fulfilled a lifelong dream" for Lerner, who worked as an usher for Washington Senators games as a youth since he could rarely afford to attend games.

MLB took over the former Montreal Expos franchise and moved it to Washington in 2005, and Lerner won the bidding process to purchase the franchise the following year for $450 million.

Forbes listed the Nationals as MLB's 12th-most valuable franchise with a value of $2 billion ahead of the 2022 season.

While Lerner helped in the team's construction of and move to Nationals Park in 2008, the building of a consistent winner stood out the most during his tenure as principal owner. The Expos made the playoffs just once in 36 seasons in Montreal, and the Nationals missed the postseason in their first seven years following the move to the U.S. capital.

However, they made the playoffs five times in eight seasons from 2012 through 2019 and lifted the World Series trophy in 2019.

"The victory was the capstone to his career, reshaping his public legacy from that of a publicity-averse real estate and shopping mall magnate known for his gruff and litigious personality to that of a community-spirited team owner who brought a championship to his hometown," Bernstein and Schudel wrote of Lerner.

Lerner's son, Mark, became the franchise's managing principal owner in 2018, and he said last April that the family is exploring a potential sale.