The Washington Nationals have one of the worst local television deals in baseball, thanks in part to the influence of Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who owns MASN. Now, the Nationals are trying to renegotiate the deal. Sports Business Journal's John Ourand reports the team has hired media consultant Chris Bevilacqua to help them redo their deal with MASN.
This sets up an interesting tug of war between the Nationals and Angelos, who is now put in a position where he has to argue the Nationals' current arrangement is fair.
The Nationals currently get around $29 million a year from MASN, which is pretty bad. That in part is because of their ratings numbers, which Ourand writes are among the league's worst. But two things are working in the Nationals' favor. First, TV right deals in general are exploding, with teams and leagues getting more than ever before. More importantly, the Nationals themselves are on the verge of something, with Stephen Strasburg healthy, the team improving and Bryce Harper on the way.
Frankly, it's time for the Nationals to have a better TV deal. Here's hoping they get one.