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Among the details of the agreement between MLB and the city is the $611-million development cap that the council called for last month, as well as MLB's commitment to contribute $20 million for the stadium's development. The ballpark is being built predominantly with public funds, specifically $535 million in tax-exempt and taxable bonds that cannot be sold until a lease agreement is in place. Additional development funds will come from other outside sources such as annual rent from the Nationals, and ticket and concession sales. Now that MLB has signed off on the agreement, the District has to give its final approval before construction can actually get under way. A ground breaking could take place as early as this spring.

"We have worked very hard to accommodate the requests from the Mayor and the Council that changed the terms of the agreement that brought the Expos to Washington," said MLB President Robert A. DuPuy in a statement. "Because we believe in the future of baseball in the nation's capital, we have signed a lease that honors the 2004 agreement, while conforming to the emergency legislation that the council passed last month. "Everyone has to compromise so the Nationals can enjoy a strong future. We are offering a compromise that I call on District leaders to support."