MLB Commish Sounds Off at ESPN After Network Cut Ties With the Sport: ‘There Was a Level of Dissatisfaction’ with Coverage

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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred admitted to feeling “dissatisfaction” with ESPN’s coverage before the network opted out of its broadcast deal.

In late February, the news broke that the MLB and ESPN mutually agreed to opt out of their deal for the 2026-2028 seasons. As a result, the 2025 season will be the last one carried by ESPN for the foreseeable future. In a report from The Athletic, Manfred revealed in a memo sent to team owners that ESPN wanted to pay the MLB less than $550 million per year that it previously agreed to. The sides were unable to reach a new agreement before the March 1 deadline.

Manfred also called out ESPN for its “minimal” coverage in the memo. Speaking to Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on his radio show Mad Dog Unleashed, the commissioner elaborated on his issues with the lack of attention baseball gets on the network:

MANFRED: Eventually it got to the point that they told us what they were thinking, but we had been reading leaks for over a year before that phone call took place; and that’s unfortunate. It did not help, the conversations. You know, look, we — there was a level of dissatisfaction on our part. It started, you know, with the end of Baseball Tonight, I think if you watch ESPN — and I do — you know, where we appear on SportsCenter in the morning, there were issues.

RUSSO: I can answer that better than anybody. We only did one segment today on opening day of Major League Baseball. So if anybody can mention it, you’re talking to me.

MANFRED: Yeah. And, you know, look, there was a level of dissatisfaction with that. Having said that, you know, did we want to be partners with him? Yes, but, you know, taking less money?

RUSSO: Not gonna happen.

MANFRED: And look, I’ll say this publicly because I said it to them. They stepped up for the NBA. They stepped up for football, stepped up for this one; and to come back to us and say, “We wanna cut you.”

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