Nationals partner Ed Cohen, the team's point person on the ongoing MASN media rights dispute, "filed a sworn affidavit that claimed the baseball team’s operations are 'significantly' impaired by the lower TV rights and it could get worse with more legal delays," according to James Wagner of the WASHINGTON POST. The Nationals earn about $40M in TV rights fees from MASN per year, nearly $20M less than the amount awarded by the MLB panel in June '14. Cohen last week in his affidavit said, "Without this added income, the Nationals are handicapped in their ability to invest in efforts to improve the team." No supporting documents "were provided to show specific examples of how the Nationals were affected in their pursuit of top players or stadium-related improvements" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 1/26). CBSSPORTS.com's Mike Axisa acknowledged the Nationals "have a crummy TV situation," as the Orioles control their broadcast rights. However, the Nationals have a "beautiful eight-year-old ballpark, and their $165.7 million payroll last season was the fifth highest in baseball." Cash "was not the problem this offseason," as both Jason Heyward and Yoenis Cespedes "took less" money to sign with the Cubs and Mets, respectively, than the Nats were offering. Axisa: "The team had the financial resources to make huge offers. The players just decided to go elsewhere" (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/26).
DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE DISTRICT: ESPN.com's Eddie Matz wrote the Nationals during the past couple of months "have been rejected" on multiple occasions regarding potential free agent signings and trades. In addition to Heyward and Cespedes, Nationals President of Baseball Operations & GM Mike Rizzo this offseason "targeted" P Darren O'Day, 2B Ben Zobrist and P Mike Leake, "only to watch" them sign elsewhere. The team also "tried to trade for" Reds 2B Brandon Phillips, but he "thought otherwise, and the trade never happened" (ESPN.com, 1/25).
