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The Opener: Acuña, McLean, Nola

By Leo Morgenstern | August 15, 2025 at 8:57am CDT

Here are three things we’ll be watching for around baseball over the weekend:

1. Braves to activate Ronald Acuña Jr. tonight:

The Braves might not be playing for much except their pride anymore, but it will still be nice for them to have their superstar back in the lineup. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit the injured list at the end of July with a Grade 1 calf strain. Yesterday, the Braves told reporters (including David O’Brien of The Athletic) that Acuña will rejoin the club tonight in Cleveland. Acuña won the NL MVP unanimously in 2023, the only season in the last five in which he has stayed completely healthy. He looked a lot like the MVP version of himself this year in between two stints on the IL, slashing .306/.429/.577 with 14 home runs and a 178 wRC+ in 55 games from May to July. Atlanta will hope he can pick up where he left off.

2. Nolan McLean to debut Saturday:

The Mets are looking to snap out of a downward spiral, and perhaps one of their top prospects is the answer. Right-hander Nolan McLean is widely considered one of the top prospects in the organization and one of the top pitching prospects in the sport. On Saturday, he’ll take the ball for his MLB debut, as he takes over from struggling veteran Frankie Montas in New York’s rotation. The 24-year-old will be in for a challenge in his first taste of MLB action, as he takes on the red-hot Mariners (8-2 in their last 10) and 2025 All-Star Bryan Woo. However, if his performance at Triple-A Syracuse is any indication, he should be up for the task. McLean has a 2.78 ERA in 16 games (13 starts) since his promotion to the Syracuse Mets, with 97 strikeouts in 87 1/3 innings and a groundball rate over 50%. While walks have given him trouble at times, his strikeout rate has only continued to climb; he’s struck out one-third of all batters he’s faced in his last seven games.

It should be noted that Saturday, the day McLean is set to debut, is the earliest date that a team can call up a prospect without the chance that he could accrue enough service to exhaust his rookie eligibility. This means McLean will most likely still be eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) program in 2026. With this in mind, there’s a good chance he won’t be the only top prospect promoted in the coming days.

3. Phillies moving to six-man rotation:

Aaron Nola, injured since mid-May, will make his long-awaited return to the Phillies on Sunday, the club revealed to reporters (including The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes). Upon his return, the team will move to a six-man rotation, at least temporarily. Manager Rob Thomson said he will cycle through the six of Nola, Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, and Taijuan Walker “once for sure.” After that, he has “some other ideas how to attack this thing going forward” (per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber).

Lauber notes that those ideas for the future could include pairing up two starters in a piggyback situation or skipping each starter entirely once through the cycle. For now, however, the Phillies will take the simplest approach. No one in the current starting five deserves a demotion, but they could all use a little extra rest amid a stretch of 24 games in 25 days. The Phillies have enough optionable bullpen arms that they can afford to roster six starters – and therefore only seven relievers. Philadelphia can cycle through arms like Max Lazar, Seth Johnson, Alan Rangel, Michael Mercado, Josh Walker, and the recently-acquired Matt Manning to help keep the bullpen fresh.

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The Opener

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Blue Jays Notes: Shapiro, Bichette, Schneider, Springer, Manoah

By Mark Polishuk | August 14, 2025 at 11:56pm CDT

Mark Shapiro is in the midst of his tenth season as the Blue Jays’ president and CEO, and his current five-year contract is up after the conclusion of the 2025 campaign.  Speaking with The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon and other reporters earlier this week, Shapiro didn’t give any updates on any extension talks, or if any negotiations were even ongoing.  However, Shapiro firmly stated “I want to remain here, and I can also say that both Edward and Tony have been reciprocal in that desire,” referring to Rogers Communications chairman Edward Rogers and CEO Tony Staffieri.

It is worth noting that when Shapiro’s previous five-year deal expired following the 2020 campaign, a new extension wasn’t reached until January 2021.  The Jays’ front office operated more or less normally during this interim period, or as “normally” as could be expected since the pandemic was still a gigantic factor during the 2020-21 offseason (particularly since the Blue Jays couldn’t play in Toronto until the end of July 2021).  It would seem like an unofficial agreement was in place for Shapiro’s return and things just weren’t formalized until that January, so if history repeats itself, we might not receive public confirmation of a new contract until some time after the 2025 season is over.

While Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins have received plenty of criticism over their decade in charge of the franchise, the fan angst that reached a peak after the Jays’ dismal 2024 season has now been quieted by Toronto’s huge turn-around in 2025.  The Blue Jays have the second-best record in baseball and a five-game lead in the AL East as we reach mid-August.  Despite postseason appearances in 2020, 2022, and 2023, the Jays haven’t won a playoff game (let alone a series) since reaching the 2016 ALCS in the first year of the Shapiro/Atkins tenure.

Given the Jays’ current success on the field and the franchise-building projects Shapiro has overseen (i.e. major renovations to both Rogers Centre and the Blue Jays’ Spring Training complex) in the last decade, it would certainly seem like the executive is in good standing to receive another contract.  The same could be said of John Schneider since the manager is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, and while Shapiro deferred comment on any extension talks, he did praise Schneider’s work over his three-plus years leading the dugout.

Likewise, Shapiro didn’t go into detail over any plans to retain impending free agent Bo Bichette, other than to say “I’m confident that, at the right time, we’ll make an effort.”  This likely means the Blue Jays will wait until after the season, as Shapiro didn’t want to draw any focus away from Bichette’s on-field efforts.  After an injury-marred down year in 2024, Bichette has looked much more like his old self, hitting .294/.336/.463 with 16 homers over 538 plate appearances (for a 122 wRC+).

Speaking of returns to form, George Springer’s resurgence has been one of the keys to the Jays’ season, and the veteran looks to be close to an activation off the concussion-related injured list.  Springer hasn’t played since he was hit in the head by a pitch on July 28, but he has now cleared concussion protocols and returned to action in a minor league rehab game today.

Springer was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double for Triple-A Buffalo, acting as the Bisons’ designated hitter.  Postgame, Springer told reporters (including Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News) that he isn’t sure if he’ll remain for another rehab game on Friday, perhaps to play the outfield as the final step in the recovery process.

Things didn’t go as smoothly for Alek Manoah in his first Triple-A rehab game on Wednesday, as the starter allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings and 49 pitches.  Bannon writes that the plan was for Manoah to toss 70-75 pitches over as many as five innings, except the outing had to be cut short due to the righty’s struggles.

It has been almost three years since Manoah was a viable force in the Blue Jays’ rotation, as he struggled badly in 2023 and his hopes at a bounce-back year were halted by a Tommy John surgery in June 2024.  Over four rehab starts at four different minor league levels, Manoah has an 11.57 ERA and more walks (eight) than strikeouts (six) in seven total innings.

Until his control or his overall results improve, it is hard to see Manoah being called up for a significant role for a team battling for a division title.  A return to the rotation might not be necessary since deadline trade acquisition Shane Bieber is first in line as the proverbial sixth starter, but even bringing Manoah back as a reliever is a risk if he can’t harness his pitches.

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Notes Toronto Blue Jays Alek Manoah Bo Bichette George Springer John Schneider Mark Shapiro

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Latest On Pablo Lopez

By Mark Polishuk | August 14, 2025 at 9:59pm CDT

Pablo Lopez suffered a Grade 2 strain of his right teres major muscle in early June, and the Twins right-hander has now missed a little over 10 weeks of action.  This puts him within the projected 8-to-12 week timeline initially attached to his recovery, and Lopez has steadily been taking steps towards a September return, including five bullpen sessions and a simulated inning.  The next step comes tomorrow, as Lopez told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Minneapolis Star Tribune) that he’ll face live hitters for the first time over two simulated innings.

Should all go well on Friday, Lopez will advance to a Spring Training-esque schedule of an additional inning every five or six days.  It can be assumed a minor league rehab assignment will be part of this plan given how much time Lopez has missed, but is aiming to be back in Minnesota’s rotation by early September.

Since the Twins had a virtual fire sale of their roster at the trade deadline and only faintly remain in wild card contention, it isn’t likely that Lopez will be returning to any meaningful games.  However, Lopez isn’t at all considering a shutdown, as he is intent on making “four or five, maybe six starts” in what remains of the 2025 campaign.

“Because time allows, I want to do it.  Also, peace of mind,” Lopez said.  “I want to be able to tell myself I was able to come back from this injury and pitch and perform at the level I know I can perform.”

Between this shoulder strain and a minimal 15-day absence due to a hamstring strain in April, Lopez has been limited to only 60 2/3 innings this season.  This injury-riddled year has interrupted a string of workhorse performances for Lopez, who tossed 559 1/3 IP over the 2022-24 seasons — the seventh-highest innings total of any pitcher in baseball over that three-season span.

The righty also posted a 3.83 ERA over that span, and the bottom-line results were even sharper this year since Lopez had a 2.82 ERA across his 60 2/3 frames in 2025.  The Twins were already impressed enough by Lopez’s first season in Minnesota to sign the righty to a four-year, $73.5MM extension in April 2023 that covers the 2024-27 seasons.  He is set to earn $21.5MM in each of the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

Speculatively speaking, it is worth wondering if Lopez and the Twins could be viewing any September starts as an audition for potential trade suitors.  Lopez and Byron Buxton are Minnesota’s highest-paid players now that Carlos Correa has been dealt to the Astros, and Buxton has already made it clear that he won’t be waiving his no-trade protection.  That leaves Lopez as the most natural candidate for a trade if the Twins continue to explore payroll cuts, and a few more outings in 2025 would also provide some evidence for rival teams that Lopez is fully healthy.  Since the Twins explored trading the less-expensive Joe Ryan at the deadline, it stands to reason that they would also be open to moving a pricier rotation option in Lopez, though naturally the front office would want a significant return rather than just a salary dump.

Wednesday’s surprising news that the Pohlad family was abandoning plans to sell the team threw another curveball into what has been a tumultuous few weeks for the organization.  It is possible the addition of two new minority owners has provided enough of a cash influx that payroll cuts are no longer a priority, yet we’ll have to wait until the offseason to see how things truly play out, and what types of rebuild-or-reload moves president of baseball operations Derek Falvey will be considering.

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Minnesota Twins Pablo Lopez

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Yankees Re-Sign Andrew Velazquez

By Mark Polishuk | August 14, 2025 at 9:06pm CDT

The Yankees have signed infielder Andrew Velazquez to a new minor league contract, according to his MLB.com profile page.  Velazquez was released from his previous minors deal on August 3, and he’ll now return to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after testing the open market.

A veteran of six MLB seasons, Velazquez hit .189/.244/.293 over 624 plate appearances and 275 games with five different teams from 2018-23.  Most of his playing time (179 games) came with the Angels during the 22-23 seasons, and Velazquez had close to a starting role as the Halos’ shortstop in the 2022 campaign.  His time in Los Angeles ended when he was claimed off waivers by the Braves in September 2023, and Velazquez hasn’t been back to the majors since, playing with Atlanta’s Triple-A team in 2024 and then spending all of 2025 in SWB.

This latest contract represents the fourth time Velazquez has signed with the Yankees, and the Bronx native saw some big league action with his hometown team in the form of 28 games in the pinstripes in 2021.  While the local flavor doesn’t hurt, Velasquez is a known quantity to the New York organization who can provide defensive versatility even if he doesn’t offer much at the plate.  Velasquez has primarily played shortstop during his career, but he has a lot of experience at second base, third base, and all three outfield positions (primarily center).  His work on the grass this year has been limited to a single appearance in center field, indicating that the Yankees view him as an emergency outfielder at best.

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New York Yankees Transactions Andrew Velazquez

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Joe Jimenez Shut Down For Rest Of 2025 Season; Lopez, Schwellenbach Not Likely To Return

By Mark Polishuk | August 14, 2025 at 7:53pm CDT

Joe Jimenez was shut down from throwing last week due to renewed soreness in his surgically repaired left knee.  This seemed like a major obstacle to Jimenez’s chances of returning to action before the end of the 2025 season, and Braves manager Brian Snitker confirmed today to reporters (including Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that Jimenez indeed won’t be back in action this year.  It also seems like injured starters Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach have thrown their last pitches of 2025, as Snitker was doubtful either right-hander would be activated from the 60-day injured list before season’s end.

After pitching through knee soreness through much of 2024, Jimenez underwent surgery in late October to address what ended up being rather significant cartilage damage.  Jimenez was given a broad recovery timeframe of 8-12 months, so an entirely lost season was always a possibility for the veteran right-hander.  Some hopes were raised for a return when Jimenez started throwing bullpen sessions in early July, yet he wasn’t able to advance to the minor league rehab stage before his knee again began bothering him.  It doesn’t appear as if the issue is anything beyond mere discomfort, so Jimenez should still be on pace to be fully healthy by the start of Spring Training.

Following six mostly inconsistent seasons with the Tigers, Jimenez hit a new level of performance after Atlanta acquired the reliever in a trade during the 2022-23 offseason.  Jimenez posted a 3.04 ERA over 56 1/3 innings with the Braves in 2023, which earned him a three-year, $26MM extension to remain in Atlanta just before he was about to test the free agent market.  The first season of that extension saw Jimenez deliver a 2.62 ERA over 68 2/3 frames in 2024, giving him an overall 2.81 ERA, 30.1% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 125 total innings in a Braves uniform.

Jimenez’s knee surgery ended up being a harbinger for an injury-riddled season for the Atlanta pitching staff.  Spencer Strider (who began the year on the IL recovering from an internal brace surgery) is the only member of the Braves’ first-choice rotation that is currently healthy, as Lopez, Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale are all on the 60-day injured list.  Sale is the only one of that group that might pitch again in 2025, as he is set to make his second minor league rehab start on Sunday as he tries to work his way back from a ribcage fracture.

Smith-Shawver underwent a Tommy John surgery in June, so his entire 2026 season could be in jeopardy as well as what remained of his 2025 campaign.  There isn’t much surprise that Lopez and Schwellenbach have also both been unofficially ruled out, as since the Braves are out of the playoff race, there isn’t much value in having either pitcher go through a full rehab process just to pitch a few meaningless innings in late September.

Lopez made just a single start before undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in early April.  This came with a shutdown period of 8-12 weeks, and while Lopez has started throwing, he won’t have time to build up his arm for a full starter’s workload.  Burns suggests that if Lopez is able to return, it would only be in a relief role, which might only happen if the Braves are considering moving the right-hander back to the bullpen in the wake of his injury situation.  Lopez’s return to a full-time starter’s role in 2024 worked brilliantly when he was healthy (1.99 ERA in 135 2/3 IP), but he dealt with forearm and shoulder issues in the latter part of that season, prior to the surgery that has entirely marred his 2025 season.

Schwellenbach helped paper over some of Atlanta’s rotation woes when he produced a 3.09 ERA over 110 2/3 innings this year, but the injury bug bit him too in the form of a small right elbow fracture in early July.  He was almost immediately moved to the 60-day IL in the wake of that injury and isn’t eligible to return until the first week of September at the earliest, but it instead looks like the right-hander will get an early jump on his offseason.

In better injury news, Ronald Acuna Jr. could be activated from the 10-day IL as early as tomorrow.  Acuna hasn’t played since suffering a calf strain on July 29, but the star outfielder seems to be on the verge of a relatively quick return.  Though Acuna has been limited to 55 games due to his calf injury and his recovery from the torn ACL that prematurely ended his 2024 season, the former NL MVP has still looked to be in superstar form, hitting .306/.429/.577 with 14 home runs in 238 plate appearances.

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Atlanta Braves Joe Jimenez Reynaldo Lopez Ronald Acuna Spencer Schwellenbach

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Rays To Promote Bob Seymour

By Mark Polishuk | August 14, 2025 at 6:39pm CDT

The Rays are planning to call up first base prospect Bob Seymour from Triple-A Durham prior to Friday’s game, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Since Seymour isn’t on the 40-man roster, Tampa Bay will have to make at least one corresponding move to create space on both the 40-man and 26-man rosters.

The 26-year-old Seymour will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in his first game.  A 13th-round pick for the Rays in the 2021 draft, Seymour has been productive at every level of the minor league ladder, including big numbers in Durham in each of the last two seasons.  Seymour has hit .263/.327/.553 with 30 home runs over 443 PA at Triple-A this year, and his 30 homers lead the International League.  Just this past Tuesday, Seymour highlighted his huge year with a three-homer game against Triple-A Nashville.

As evidenced by his 89 homers over 1736 career PA (and 410 games) in the minor leagues, there’s a lot of pop in Seymour’s bat.  There was also a lot of swing-and-miss, though Seymour has significantly reduced his strikeout rate from 34.9% in 2024 (in 218 PA with Durham) to 25.7% over his 443 PA this season.  He also enjoyed some inflated BABIPs in past seasons, yet a more neutral .292 BABIP in 2025 indicates that the first baseman isn’t just relying on a lot of good fortune.

Despite all this power, neither MLB.com or Baseball America list Seymour among the top 30 prospects in Tampa’s farm system.  It seems as though Seymour is viewed in limited terms as a first base-only player who has only big power and hard-contact skills as calling cards, yet evaluators may doubt that those abilities can translate into production against Major League pitching.

Still, it’s hard to argue that Seymour’s big 2025 campaign hasn’t earned him at least a look in the Show.  Seymour is a left-handed hitter who could replace Jonathan Aranda in the lineup to some extent, playing mostly as a designated hitter since Yandy Diaz is locked in at first base.  Aranda is one of five Rays position players on the injured list, so with Tampa Bay a little thin on the bench, there are worse ideas than calling up a 30-homer slugger.

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Tampa Bay Rays Transactions Bob Seymour

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White Sox Outright Corey Julks

By Darragh McDonald | August 14, 2025 at 4:55pm CDT

Outfielder Corey Julks has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte, reports Scott Merkin of MLB.com. The White Sox designated him for assignment earlier this week. Since this is his second career outright, he has the right to reject the assignment and elect free agency, though Merkin didn’t indicate he would do so.

Julks, 29, has put up plenty of intriguing numbers in the minors. That has led to a few limited looks in the big leagues, but he hasn’t been able to do much with those. He has a .236/.290/.340 line in 520 career plate appearances, which translates to a wRC+ of 76, indicating he’s been 24% worse than the league average hitter.

The minor league track record is greater in both quality and quantity. Dating back to the cancelled 2020 season, he has stepped to the plate 1,630 times on the farm with a .278/.361/.486 batting line and 120 wRC+. He’s also stolen 63 bases and lined up at all three outfield spots.

That minor league track record wasn’t enough for any club to give him a 40-man spot. He still has an option remaining and could have been stashed in the minors but all clubs passed on that chance. As mentioned, since he has been outrighted before, he could decide to head to the open market now. If he passes on that opportunity, he’ll qualify for minor league free agency at season’s end.

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

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Chicago White Sox Transactions Corey Julks

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Shaun Anderson Elects Free Agency

By Darragh McDonald | August 14, 2025 at 3:39pm CDT

The Angels announced that right-hander Shaun Anderson has cleared waivers and elected free agency. The Halos designated him for assignment earlier this week. He has the right to reject the outright assignment because he has a previous career outright.

Anderson, 30, has gone down this road before. The Angels signed him to a minor league deal in the winter. He was selected to the roster in May. He lasted about two weeks before getting bumped off the roster. Since he is out of options, he was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and elected free agency but then re-signed with the Angels on a new minor league deal. The same sequence of events played out the next month, with Anderson on the roster for a few days in June.

The same script was followed this week, though at a quicker pace. Anderson was added to the roster on Monday. The Halos were leading the Dodgers 7-0 after seven innings. They put in Anderson to try to save their top bullpen arms, but it didn’t work out. Home runs by Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy led to four runs going on the board, with Anderson only recording two outs.

The next day, he was designated for assignment for the third time this year. Like in the previous two instances, he has cleared waivers and exercised his right to test the open market. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he returns to the Angels on a new deal, as he has before. He has thrown 163 1/3 major league innings with a 6.39 earned run average. His minor league work has been better overall but he hasn’t been putting up great numbers this year. Pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, he has a 6.44 ERA in 81 innings in 2025.

Photo courtesy of Cary Edmondson, Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Angels Transactions Shaun Anderson

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Phillies Re-Sign Óscar Mercado To Minor League Deal

By Darragh McDonald | August 14, 2025 at 3:17pm CDT

Outfielder Óscar Mercado is back with the Phillies. He opted out of a minor league deal with the Phils just over a week ago but his transactions tracker at MLB.com indicates he has re-signed with the club on a new minor league deal.

Mercado signed the deal he recently opted out of back in February. Before opting out, he got into 92 Triple-A games and stepped to the plate 378 times. His 14.6% walk rate was better than his 13.8% strikeout rate. That led to a .252/.373/.385 batting line and 107 wRC+. He also stole 35 bases while playing all three outfield spots.

That performance was solid but not enough to get called up to Philadelphia. The club has had an outfield rotation of Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler for most of the year, with others chipping in on occasion. They added Harrison Bader into the mix at the deadline and also have prospect Justin Crawford knocking on the door.

The path to a big league job isn’t great. Mercado took a few days to look around for other offers but has decided to return to the Phillies. He’ll provide them with some non-roster depth but it could take a few injuries for his services to be required in the majors.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Phillies Transactions Oscar Mercado

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Latest On Broadcast Package Carried By ESPN

By Darragh McDonald | August 14, 2025 at 2:55pm CDT

Back in February, Major League Baseball and ESPN opted out of the final three years of their contract together. That deal is still in place through 2025, with ESPN carrying this year’s rights to Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby and the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but the rights for those events are up for grabs for the 2026-28 seasons. In May, it was reported that NBC had made an offer on that package.

Now it appears that the package may be split up and sold in separate parts, per Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Nothing is finalized yet but Marchand reports that the league is in negotiations with several different broadcasters about the pieces that ESPN is currently carrying. He says that NBC/Peacock and Apple TV+ are the frontrunners for Sunday Night Baseball and the playoff games, while Netflix seems likely to get the Derby. ESPN, meanwhile, could stay in the baseball broadcast business by picking up some weekday games. Marchand adds that ESPN has interest in MLB.TV but doesn’t indicate if that interest is reciprocal. John Ourand of Puck also reports that Netflix is hoping to acquire the Japanese rights for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Breaking up broadcast rights into pieces is nothing new for the league. They have had deals with many broadcasters over the years and currently have deals in place with ESPN, Fox, ABC, TBS, Apple and Roku. Peacock/NBC had the rights to the early Sunday game not too long ago, before Roku took over that slot.

MLB was set to receive about $550MM annually from the ESPN deal. ESPN was looking to renegotiate, pointing out that Apple is only playing $85MM for its Friday night rights while Roku is only forking over $10MM annually. The ESPN package has more appeal. Like Apple and Roku, they get one game per week, but there’s only one game on Sunday nights while Apple/Roku have competition from the other contests. The Derby and the playoff games obviously make the package more valuable. Still, ESPN didn’t feel the price gap was appropriate. Per the May reporting linked above, ESPN was willing to pay about $200MM per year but not more.

MLB evidently felt it could beat that $200MM and perhaps may do so by splitting up the package into pieces. Time will tell if they can succeed. As mentioned, these deals are still being negotiated and Marchand doesn’t provide any specifics about the numbers being discussed.

One thing that has been consistent in stories about broadcast deals is that MLB doesn’t want to sign anything beyond 2028. Multiple reports have indicated that the league’s various broadcast deals expire after the 2028 season. As various clubs saw their regional deals collapse with Diamond Sports Group, now known as Main Street Sports, some re-signed but always on short-term deals. It seems the league hopes to be able to market a very large package, or packages, of broadcast components to various companies for the 2029 season and beyond. Marchand reports that the current negotiations are consistent with that approach, with nothing beyond 2028 being discussed.

There are many moving parts and it’s a notable situation to monitor going forward. Broadcast revenue is naturally a huge part of the game’s economic landscape and there could be many twists and turns in the coming years. The baseball world is expecting a lockout in the 2026-27 offseason, once the current collective bargaining agreement expires. Many believe that commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners would like to push the MLB Players Association to get a salary cap. A staredown between the league and the union could lead to cancelled games in 2027.

Manfred and the owners would have to balance their desire for that cap against their leverage in these deals. MLB has seen an uptick in popularity lately, including increased viewership ratings, often attributed to pace-of-play rule changes such as the pitch clock. Having that momentum would help the league in negotiations with broadcasters but a lengthy work stoppage and missed games would almost certainly hurt baseball’s popularity and cut into the league’s leverage in broadcast negotiations.

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Television

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    Cashman: Yankees “Believe In” Anthony Volpe Despite “Tough Stretch”

    Cardinals To Activate Nolan Arenado On Monday

    Roberts: Roki Sasaki “Open” To Pitching In Relief

    Cubs Place Owen Caissie On 7-Day Concussion IL

    Jose Altuve Exits Game With Foot Discomfort

    Rangers Activate Adolis Garcia

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