Washington Nationals

It's been two decades since the Montreal Expos departed Canada to become the Washington Nationals, and now the former MLB franchise will be under the spotlight.

Per Variety's Amber Dowling, Netflix has picked up an untitled documentary that will explore the events surrounding the Expos' exit from Montreal in 2004.

The documentary will be directed by Jean-François Poisson and is the first to be greenlit under Netflix's new creative partnership with Montreal-based production company Attraction. Marie-Christine Pouliot, Attraction's head producer for documentaries, and Richard Speer, president of Attraction, will serve as executive producers.

"It is with great pride and enthusiasm that Attraction announces the first project to result from our partnership with Netflix," Speers said in a statement. "The Expos were the first MLB team outside of the U.S., and despite their departure from Montreal, they continue to have passionate fans to this day. This film will tell the story of the team through the eyes of those who lived it."

The loss of the Expos, who officially became the Nationals in 2005, is still a topic of debate 20 years after it all went down.

Netflix said the documentary will detail the setbacks that led to the Expos leaving Montreal, which include "fee disputes between the city and Expos owner Jeffrey Loria over a new stadium, the firing of beloved, long-time manager Felipe Alou, and a historic switcheroo in which Loria bought the Miami Marlins, Marlins owner John Henry bought the Boston Red Sox, and the MLB purchased the Expos."

The upcoming documentary continues a run of recent sports entertainment projects by Netflix, following the path created by Formula 1: Drive To Survive, Full Swing, NASCAR: Full Speed, Untold, Quarterback, Tour de France: Unchained, Under Pressure: The U.S. Women's World Cup Team and Six Nations: Full Contact. MLB also announced earlier this month that the Boston Red Sox will be the subject of a Netflix docuseries that follows the entirety of their 2024 season.

The Lerner family is no longer considering a sale of the Washington Nationals.

"We have determined, our family has determined, that we are not going to sell the team," managing principal owner Mark Lerner told Andrew Golden of the Washington Post on Monday.

He added that the decision came "a while ago."

Reports first emerged in April 2022 that the Lerner family was looking to sell, which was described as an "exploratory process" with "no set timetable or expectation of a specific outcome," though such plans were put on pause once the 2023 season commenced.

The Lerners reportedly were looking for more than the $2.4 billion that Steve Cohen paid to acquire the New York Mets in 2020 and potentially even received a $2 billion offer from Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonis.

That would have been quite the return on investment from the $450 million the family paid to acquire the team in 2006.

One hiccup with a potential Leonis' ownership was that he also owns the Monumental Sports Network and potentially would prefer to move Nationals' broadcasts to that channel if he bought the team.

Meanwhile, one of the issues that appeared to be holding up a potential sale for the Nationals was that the team and the Baltimore Orioles were previously disputing how much money each was owed for its Mid-Atlantic Sports Network media rights deal between 2017-21. In December, the two sides agreed with MLB arbitration that suggested each should receive $304 million in total or an average of $61 million per year.

Up next will be the Nationals, Orioles and MASN determining the media rights deal for the period between the 2022-26 seasons. It's unclear if that jammed up a potential sale in any way, though Lerner indicated on Monday that the family's decision to keep the team hadn't been influenced by any recent developments.

"Nothing has really changed," he said. "We've just decided that it's not the time or the place for it. We're very happy owning the team and bringing us back a ring one day."

So the Nationals—mired in a rebuild since winning the World Series in 2019—will remain with the Lerners for now. It remains to be seen if the family will eventually get the itch to sell the team in the future.

The Washington Nationals and outfielder Joey Gallo have agreed to a one-year deal worth $5 million, per Andrew Golden of the Washington Post.

The contract, which is pending a physical, also contains an additional $1 million in performance bonuses.

The 30-year-old Gallo posted 21 home runs and 40 RBI in 111 games for the Minnesota Twins last season. He hit .177 with a .741 OPS.

The nine-year MLB veteran is feast-or-famine at the dish, sporting lifetime per-162 game averages of 37 home runs and 224 strikeouts. His strikeout rate is second to none among those with at least 3,000 plate appearances, per Eric Cross of FTN Fantasy and Rotoballer.

However, Gallo fared quite well in the field, notably winning a pair of Gold Gloves in 2020 and 2021. He's also adept at drawing walks and getting on base, doing so at a .323 career clip.

The two-time All-Star joins a Nats team that just finished last in the National League East with a 71-91 record.

As Mark Zuckerman of MASN noted, Gallo helps address the team's need for left-handed power, and he's "likely" to play left field in Washington while taking over for Joey Meneses at times at first base.

However, it's possible that Gallo doesn't make it through the entire season in Washington. Zuckerman explained why:

"With top outfield prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews likely to make their major-league debuts sometime this season, Gallo could wind up a candidate to be dealt at the trade deadline, the Nats hoping he can generate interest from a contender just as third baseman Jeimer Candelario did last year after signing a comparable $5 million deal."

For now, though, it appears Gallo will be manning left field as the Nats look to move up the standings. Opening Day for Washington will be Thursday, March 28 in Cincinnati.

Former Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle has announced his retirement from Major League Baseball after 11 seasons.

"After 11 incredible seasons playing the sport I love, I can say with gratitude and a full heart that I am retiring from baseball," Doolittle wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Nationals managing principal owner Mark D. Lerner and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo also released statements congratulating Doolittle on a tremendous career:

Doolittle began his career with the Oakland Athletics in 2012. He spent five-and-a-half seasons with the franchise, earning an All-Star selection in 2014, before being traded to the Nationals in 2017.

In his first stint with the Nationals from 2017-2020, Doolittle helped Washington capture a World Series title in 2019. His best season with the franchise came in 2018 when he went 3-3 with a 1.60 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 45 innings across 43 appearances.

The 36-year-old spent the 2021 season split between the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners before rejoining the Nationals for the 2022 campaign. He appeared in just six games last season due to injuries, tossing 5.1 innings.

Doolittle returned to the Nationals on a minor league deal ahead of the 2023 season. After recovering from a setback from elbow surgery, he appeared in 11 games across Washington's minor league system, posting a 5.91 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 10.2 innings as he continued to deal with injuries.

Doolittle ends his MLB career with a 3.20 ERA in 463 appearances.

The Washington Nationals announced Wednesday they agreed to a multiyear extension with general manager Mike Rizzo.

"Mike and I have talked and worked with each other almost daily for 17 years," managing owner Mark Lerner said. "Together with my family and the entire Nationals staff, we've always shared the same dream: to make the Washington Nationals a team that our fans could love and be proud of. ... "We are once again hard at work to build a championship contender in D.C. We now believe we have the beginnings of a roster filled with promising young players and exciting prospects at nearly every position."

Rizzo took over as the general manager in 2009 and was the architect of the Nationals' World Series-winning squad in 2019.

Wednesday's agreement ends a period of uncertainty over Rizzo's future in the nation's capital.

The Nationals have generally been in a state of limbo ever since the Lerner family said in 2022 they were exploring the possible sale of the franchise. Nearly all of the key players from the 2019 team are gone, and the Opening Day payroll has gone from the fourth-highest in MLB to 22nd over that span.

Questions over Rizzo specifically emerged after The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli reported on Sept. 7 the Nationals "gutted their scouting department." More than a dozen employees will be leaving the organization after this season.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic provided a little more context, noting how "Rizzo's current staff, without question, is a tad bloated." To that end, some level of attrition may not be a bad thing.

On Rizzo specifically, Rosenthal also wrote how the 62-year-old "can be mercurial, according to Nationals sources who spoke on condition of anonymity in exchange for their candor." As a whole, Washington "was slow to embrace analytics and has struggled to develop pitching," two marks against the person running the front office.

Still, some looking critically upon the Nats for allowing Rizzo, whose contract was due to expire, to twist in the wind.

In addition, as much as fans can rightfully be upset with the team for quickly tearing down a championship roster, Rizzo has done well to lay the groundwork for the future. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked Washington's farm system as the sixth-best in baseball coming out of the draft in July. MLB.com's Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo had the team at No. 8 in their August midseason rankings.

The Nationals have three players (Dylan Crews, James Wood and Brady House) among MLB.com's top 100 prospects. Crews and Wood are both in the top 10.

Keeping the same GM in place for a decade or more can cause things to go stale. Just ask the Chicago White Sox. When it comes to Rizzo, he has provided Washington with enough evidence to belief he remains the right man for the job.

It appears that the Stephen Strasburg retirement rumors were less final than originally thought.

It was reported in August that the three-time All-Star was retiring due to complications from injuries. Then a retirement ceremony for Strasburg scheduled for Saturday was canceled, and now it appears that Strasburg's door isn't shut, as Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner released a statement calling the rumors "unfortunate."

"it is regrettable that private discussions have been made public through anonymous sources attempting to negotiate through the media," Lerner said. "While we have been following the process required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, behind-the-scenes preparations for a press conference had begun internally. However, no such event was ever confirmed by the team or promoted publicly. It is unfortunate that external leaks in the press have mischaracterized these events."

Lerner continued by saying that further details will be kept private and that the team is looking forward to having Strasburg back for spring training.

"It is our hope that ongoing conversations remain private out of respect for the individuals involved," Lerner said. "Until then, we look forward to seeing Stephen when we report to Spring Training."

This statement is likely more indicative of a power play on the Nationals part than a true belief that Strasburg will be returning to the mound. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Thursday that the team had backed out of the original retirement deal.

The deal would have Strasburg retire with the remainder of his contract remaining intact. This means that the organization would still owe him $105 million with deferred payments extending to 2029. This was originally pushed by the team but the organization informed Strasburg's agent, Scott Boras, that they had changed their minds, per Nightengale.

This doesn't truly change too much for Strasburg as he will retain a roster spot and the basic amenities that the team provides for the remainder of his contract. He will be eligible to return from injury and taking the mound for the Nationals again would be on the table.

However, Strasburg's injuries are pretty extensive, including a surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021, and he has not thrown a pitch since June 2022.

Strasburg was the No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLB Draft and was excellent when healthy. He had a career 113-62 record with 3.24 ERA and was a key cog for the team's 2019 World Series victory. He was named MVP of the series for his efforts.

The most likely result of this is that any appreciation and celebration for his career will have to wait until after the 2026 season when his current contract expires.

The Washington Nationals reportedly won't be honoring Stephen Strasburg on Saturday after all.

According to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, the planned retirement press conference for the pitcher ahead of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers has been canceled.

"The plan was to honor him and retire his number but the Nationals have changed course," Ghiroli wrote.

Jesse Dougherty and Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reported on Aug. 24 that Strasburg was going to retire due to complications from thoracic outlet syndrome.

Despite the health issues that largely prevented him from taking the mound in recent years, the right-hander is a Nationals legend.

Washington selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 MLB draft, and he wasted no time setting the tone with a franchise-record 14 strikeouts in his debut in 2010. It was the start of a career that included a World Series crown, three All-Star selections, a Silver Slugger and a World Series MVP.

Strasburg was at his best in that 2019 Fall Classic. He went 2-0 against the Houston Astros with a combined 14 strikeouts and 12 hits allowed in 14.1 innings. He allowed only two earned runs in each start, including the Series-extending win in Game 6 when he went 8.1 innings.

Washington rewarded him with a seven-year, $245 million contract the ensuing offseason, but injuries limited him to a total of 31.1 innings ever since.

Strasburg made a single start in 2022 and pitched 4.2 innings before he was shut down. He pitched just five innings in the shortened 2020 campaign and 21.2 innings in 2021.

As for the contract, Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted the Nationals still had to pay the rest of it out:

That contract is apparently at the center of the most recent decision, as Ghiroli reported, "it was the Nationals who approached Strasburg about retiring and paying him the full amount of his contract, sources briefed on the matter say. The team wants to change the terms."

Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post noted that the two sides "are still hammering out details of his retirement terms, so an official announcement will come at a later date. Strasburg's plans have not changed."

There may still be a celebration down the line, but it won't happen Saturday.