Washington manager Dave Martinez was “shocked” to hear the news that the Nationals may be up for sale soon. Martinez, speaking before the Nats' game against Atlanta, said principal owner Mark Lerner called him earlier today to update him.

“To say the least, I was shocked,” Martinez said. “Those are big decisions that the Lerner family had to make. I'll support them in any way possible. This doesn't mean my relationship with the Lerner family goes away. We're still in this. I know they're very committed to this organization, as am I.”

On Monday, the Washington Post published a story saying the Lerner family, owners of the team since 2006, were exploring a sale. The family has hired the firm Allen & Company to seek out potential investors. Like Martinez, many Nationals' fans are shocked by this news. Lerner has said publicly that he will never sell the team. But just as the 2022 MLB season kicks off, he seems to be going back on his word.

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Martinez said that he called a team meeting to address the news on Monday afternoon. He added that his priority is to keep a potential sale from being a distraction to the players.

“We always talk about the circle of trust, and the Lerner family and this organization is part of that circle,” he said. “But this is our main focus, so let's get the boys ready to play and go play good baseball.”

The Lerner family bought the Nationals in 2006 for $450 million, while Forbes currently values the team at $2 billion.