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Major League Baseball's long-standing relationship with ESPN is officially winding down, and Commissioner Rob Manfred isn't thrilled with how the news became public.
Speaking on Mad Dog Unleashed, Manfred addressed the situation candidly when asked if ESPN’s decision to opt out of its MLB broadcast deal was a surprise. “Well, I didn’t have to see it. I could read it,” Manfred said, referencing leaks that surfaced months before the official announcement. “There were leaks going back a year. [It’s] unfortunate that was the mode of communication.”
"Were you surprised when ESPN said they wanted to opt out of the contract… or did you see it coming?" –@MadDogUnleashed
"Well I didn't have to see it. I could read it. There were leaks going back a year. [It's] unfortunate that was the mode of communication." -Rob Manfred 👀 pic.twitter.com/usgq9rxp2Y— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) March 26, 2025
MLB and ESPN mutually agreed to terminate their current broadcast deal, originally set to run through 2028. A March 1 opt-out deadline gave both sides the option to walk away from the final three years of their seven-year, $3.85 billion agreement that began in 2022. ESPN will continue to broadcast games through the 2025 season but will exit after that.
Rob Manfred isn't happy with the way MLB and ESPN's relationship came to an end
The network, which has carried MLB games since 1990, said in a statement, “We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball… We applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN’s industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms.”
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In recent years, ESPN had scaled back its baseball programming. The current agreement only includes 30 regular-season games (primarily Sunday Night Baseball), 10 spring training games, the Home Run Derby, and the wild-card round of the playoffs. This marked a significant reduction from the previous eight-year deal, which featured up to 90 regular-season broadcasts and the now-defunct daily show Baseball Tonight.
MLB took issue with ESPN’s decreasing interest. “Unfortunately in recent years, we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport’s appeal or performance on their platform,” the league said. It called ESPN’s demand for reduced rights fees “unacceptable.”
With ESPN on the way out, MLB now turns its attention to new partners. According to Puck’s John Ourand, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and NBC have all entered exploratory conversations with the league—primarily about the larger national broadcast rights available after 2028. However, there’s also interest in parts of ESPN’s outgoing package, including the coveted Home Run Derby, which Fox Sports has reportedly expressed interest in airing.
Manfred previously informed MLB’s 30 team owners that ESPN’s shrinking subscriber base and minimal baseball coverage outside of live broadcasts played into the league’s decision. While ESPN maintains the opt-out wasn’t entirely mutual, MLB’s response indicates the separation was no longer avoidable.
As the 2026 season nears, MLB will aim to capitalize on growing streaming opportunities while looking for a broadcast partner that better aligns with its long-term media strategy.
“We will be exploring those opportunities,” the league said, “with significant interest from both traditional media companies and streaming services.”
