Ownership of the Baltimore Orioles has officially changed hands.

Major League Baseball owners voted unanimously today, as expected, on David Rubenstein’s purchase of the team two months after the wheels were set in motion. And about 24 hours before the Orioles begin their pursuit of a second consecutive playoff berth.

Camden Yards will be packed on Thursday for Opening Day. Rubenstein will be watching as the control person.

“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I thank the Angelos family for their many years of service to the game and the communities of Baltimore,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.” Peter Angelos loved Baseball, loved Baltimore and was an important part of MLB for more than three decades.

“I congratulate David Rubenstein on receiving approval from the Major League Clubs as the new control person of the Orioles.  As a Baltimore native and a lifelong fan of the team, David is uniquely suited to lead the Orioles moving forward.  We welcome David and his partners as the new stewards of the franchise.” 

There are a lot of demoralized Nationals employees right now.

Demoralized, yes, because three years after winning the World Series they’re still in the early stages of a massive franchise rebuild that produced 107 losses this season and the trading away of just about every prominent veteran on the roster.

But even more demoralized by the fact they don’t feel like they can truly make strides in that rebuild until the club is sold. And that process is taking far longer than anyone ever expected, with the distinct possibility it may continue to drag on for quite a while longer.

Even Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is suggesting this process is stuck in neutral. Asked during Tuesday’s 30-minute Q&A session with members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America about the Angels’ sale, Manfred replied: “My understanding is that the club would like to have the sale resolved by Opening Day, though that depends on the bidding process and how quickly they can get it done.”

Asked a few minutes later for an update on the Nationals’ sale, Manfred wouldn’t offer anything resembling a response comparable to his words on the Angels: “I can’t even give you that much.”