Walgreens Park? Nationals look to boost budget with jersey patch, stadium sponsors

Former Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto signed a monster $765 million contract with the New York Mets this offseason. The Nationals could only dream of a deal like that as they added players on more modest deals to pair with a young roster.

But that could change. The Nationals confirmed this week that they are looking for sponsors to purchase ad space on jerseys and the naming rights at their stadium near the District’s Navy Yard.

Washington, one of a handful of MLB franchises that lacks a partner for either money-making opportunity, could fetch up to $20 million extra per year with new deals, according to a Forbes estimate.

“Maybe $15 million for the jersey patch and $5 million per year for the stadium,” said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, the director of the sport management program at George Washington University. “The jersey patch is more just because it’s on the players all the time.”

That influx of cash wouldn’t immediately transform the Nationals into competitors with the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers for big-money free agents. It could open up the team’s notoriously limited checkbook a bit, though, after several years as low spenders.

First baseman Nathaniel Lowe, added by the Nationals in a trade with the Texas Rangers this offseason, will be the highest-paid player on Washington’s 40-man roster this season. His $10 million salary would rank 13th on the Mets and 14th on the Dodgers.

A combined $20 million from sponsors could help general manager Mike Rizzo sign rotational players to buoy a young core featuring top prospects like third baseman Brady House and outfielders Dylan Crews and James Wood.

Washington’s biggest signing this offseason was pitcher Mike Soroka, who will make just $9 million this year. Rizzo could potentially pay two more Soroka-level players with the added sponsorship money.

“We’re at a place in our rebuild where you can see the fruits of our labor. You can see kind of what we are trying to figure out here. And when your stars become your stars — that’s when you take off,” Rizzo said in January. “You can influx some free agent signings that are really important and can put you over the top.”

In marketing campaigns and discussions with reporters, Rizzo and the Nationals are pushing the promising youngsters as potential faces of the franchise. They’ve branded this year’s 20th anniversary season as the “Next Generation of Natitude.”

“We want to win championships, and we are really excited about the team we have on the field today,” Mike Carney, the Nationals’ chief revenue officer, told Forbes. “We want to be that brand that is a consistent winner year in and year out, and [the sponsorships are] going to help to do that.”

Rizzo has instead focused on the up-and-comers as he works with limited funds. Several current Nationals are under team control on affordable deals through 2027. Arbitration deals after that could keep the youngsters in the District for even longer.

“We’re in it for the long haul,” Lerner told The Washington Post last month before defending the team’s lack of free-agent spending. “Right now, [Rizzo] doesn’t think — and I agree with him: there’s no point in getting a superstar and paying him hundreds of millions of dollars to win two or three more games.”

It isn’t a coincidence that the Nationals announced their sponsorship plans the same week that MLB freed them from the shackles of their unenviable broadcasting deal with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

Opening day is less than a month away.

“It’s raising excitement and attention around the team. I think they’ve been planning this,” Delpy Neirotti said. The marketing professor said the Nationals have been historically picky about potential sponsors. “The owners have been very particular in trying to find a good fit for the team because it is in the nation’s capital.”

Senators, dignitaries and presidents visit Nationals Park every year. The affluent locals in one of the nation’s most affluent regions are also a promising draw for potential stadium sponsors.

“If you get signage on South Capitol Street, which has huge traffic flow, it’s like a billboard 365 days a year,” Delpy Neirotti said. “And it’s higher level than some other places. We still are the nation’s capital, so it has some clout.”

The ballpark’s prime advertising real estate will aid the Nationals’ negotiations, but jersey patches have elicited bigger deals in recent years.

The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays’ jersey patches are reportedly worth about $20 million per year. Jersey sponsors are more closely associated with star players and are featured more often on broadcasts and highlight reels.

No suitors for the Nationals’ deals have emerged yet, but Delpy Neirotti had a few ideas. Navy Federal Credit Union could be a patriotic hit for the stadium, as could United Airlines. The Maryland-based Marriott hotel chain would provide a local option.

“I’m really obsessed with the United Airlines idea,” she said. “The Nationals always wanted Nationals Park to be a place where Republicans and Democrats could unite.”

But some smart-mouthed fans say one sponsor would be undeniable. After all, their logos are almost interchangeable.

“Walgreens has the chance to do the funniest thing,” Washington sports fan Evan Johnson wrote on X, referring to the organizations’ shared “curly W” logo.