New Washington Washington Nationals president of business operations Jason Sinnarajah opens up on sponsorships, fan attendance and plenty more
Beyond any roster decisions, the Washington Nationals made another marquee move this offseason after opting to leave MASN last month in favor of MLB TV and Nationals.TV, marking a significant shift for the organization after arriving in the nation's capital two decades ago.
The move also ended longtime speculation that the two sides would ultimately part ways after a dispute between the Nationals, Orioles and MASN was resolved ahead of the 2025 season. With a window to finally capitalize on its local market to make games available via cable and satellite along with MLB's streaming platform, the Nationals did exactly that ahead of 2026 spring training and never looked back.
“It was time for us to move on, and we wish them the best,” Nationals president of business operations Jason Sinnarajah said in an interview with SBJ.
Washington announced its subscription package for both the season and monthly subscription packages with no blackouts for all local games in addition to several spring training games, including Saturday against the Houston Astros.
Facilitating the move was one of several early decisions for Sinnarajah after joining the organization back in early January where he left the Kansas City Royals as senior vice president and chief operating officer. It helped that Sinnarajah helped facilitate the Royals' move to the FanDuel Sports Network to give him a blueprint for how to navigate through Washington's needs and best fit.
In addition to roles with both the Buffalo Bills and Google, spending time as a business process manager then global product partnerships, Sinnarajah adds a unique blend of experience to a front office now looking to find ways to maximize the Nationals' revenue streams.
One of those avenues is evaluating possible marketing strategies, including an airline sponsor after Sinnarajah noted the team does not have one. He also worked with Excel Sports Management to secure a multiyear jersey patch deal with AARP with the relationship reportedly "being evaluated" as the new leadership evaluates naming rights deals.
“We’ve had pretty substantial interest,” he added.
Sinnarajah has also consistently pointed to the need to improve in-game experience and concessions for a team that has ranked 22nd in attendance in each of the last two seasons including fewer than 25,000 fans for three straight years. It doesn't help that the team hasn't been competitive since winning the World Series back in 2019, but under the long-term vision of new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, the Nationals will look to change that and climb back into the top half of attendance rankings for the first time since 2018.
“This experience should be part of your Washington experience,” Sinnarajah said. “Give us a chance. Come to the ballpark. I think you will see some incremental improvements in 2026, and for sure in the future.”
How Sinnarajah and company translate that into tangible results during what could be another long year for the Nationals is another question after the team announce its season promotions, including a City Connect hockey jersey, vintage batting pullover, sleeveless hoodies for kids and several more through April.