Major League Baseball (MLB) initially suggested that its separation from ESPN was a mutual decision; however, it has become evident that this narrative may not be entirely accurate. While ESPN is reportedly open to negotiating a new agreement with MLB after their current contract concludes in the upcoming 2025 season, it seems both parties are not aligned on this front either. Late Monday night, Puck’s John Ourand published a new story outlining the events that led to last week’s surprising announcement of ESPN and MLB opting out of their current rights deal prematurely. According to Ourand, ESPN’s president Jimmy Pitaro informed the league last week that the network would be opting out, indicating that the split was not as mutual as suggested.
Interestingly, this decision was not due to ESPN wanting to remove baseball from its programming; rather, the network desired more content. However, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred rejected ESPN’s proposals to introduce additional content such as midweek broadcasts or local rights streams unless ESPN increased its current payment of $550 million per season. ESPN also apparently aimed to negotiate the current package for a reduced rate, which was also turned down by the league.
This situation leaves MLB searching for a new national partner post-2025, as Ourand mentions that the league is already looking towards 2028 when all national rights will be open. Reports suggest that MLB has engaged in discussions with Amazon and Netflix, along with informal conversations with Skydance, which is nearing completion of its acquisition of CBS and its Paramount+ streaming service. NBC has also shown interest in MLB’s broadcasting rights.
Ourand’s reporting illustrates MLB’s strategy to forge as many media relationships as possible in anticipation of the 2028 rights auction, even if it necessitates accepting a lower rights fee for the Sunday Night Baseball package than the current deal with ESPN would provide in the short term. ESPN continues to value MLB; however, it is unwilling to pay the previously agreed rate, particularly in light of the league’s recent agreements with Apple and Roku. While ESPN may still be open to negotiating a new deal, Ourand notes that “MLB is hellbent on drawing more companies into the ’28 auction,” signaling that interest in the potential deals may not be mutual.
It remains possible that ESPN could re-enter the bidding process when the time comes, especially with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery’s national rights becoming available as the network seeks content for its upcoming “Flagship” streaming service. For now, however, it seems that MLB is committed to navigating this split, even if it did not initiate the process initially.
