The 2025 MLB season is a matter of weeks away, and all 30 teams are preparing in spring training. This comes after a wild offseason, highlighted by Juan Soto signing with the New York Mets, Corbin Burnes agreeing to temrs with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Alex Bregman joining the Boston Red Sox.
But in 2025, it will represent the final year MLB will air their games on a certain national broadcaster.
According to The Athletic's Evan Drellich and Andrew Marchand, MLB and ESPN have "mutually agreed" to end their national television agreement after the 2025 season. The contract ran through the 2028 season, but included an opt-out clause deadline at March 1. The deal would have paid MLB $550 million annually over the final three years.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred wrote a memo to all team owners informing them of the move, which he said was because the league "has not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage."
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MLB, ESPN 'mutually agree' to end national broadcast contract
Those familiar with ESPN told The Athletic that they felt the $550 million per year was "way above the current market value."
Shortly after the report dropped on Thursday, ESPN officially released the following statement:
ESPN statement on our decision to opt out pic.twitter.com/V8cABUQ8sc
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 20, 2025
Even though the two sides have agreed to part ways on their contract, both sides are open to working on a new deal, according to The Athletic.
The league and network had been working together since 1990. In recent years, ESPN has primarily aired "Sunday Night Baseball" and Wild Card Series games in the postseason. This was after the network cut back on programming, such as "Baseball Tonight."
It will be interesting to see if there is another national broadcaster that could give MLB a similar deal as what they received from ESPN. Either way, this upcoming season will be the last to see "Sunday Night Baseball" and Wild Card Series games. At least, for now. Until then, we wait and see if MLB finds a new broadcast partner, or opts to return to ESPN on a new contract.