As part of ESPN’s new deal with Major League Baseball, the Worldwide Leader will lose its signature Sunday Night Baseball marquee national window. And now, it appears as if it could lose a top game analyst as well.
David Cone has been a color commentator on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball since 2022, when he and Eduardo Perez replaced Alex Rodriguez as part of a revamp that also saw Karl Ravech take over for Matt Vasgersian.
Cone is also the primary game analyst for New York Yankees broadcasts on YES Network, which sees him travel across the country for most of the 162-game slate, following the pinstripes.
All this means that Cone’s availability could be tested this upcoming season when ESPN trades MLB Sundays for MLB Wednesdays. Front Office Sports insider Michael McCarthy reported this week that Cone is up for a new contract at ESPN, and his ability to travel for midweek national games could create a roadblock to his future at the network.
Under the old format, Cone was able to reliably schedule himself to work for the Worldwide Leader for the series capper of the weekend. Midweek, that calculus becomes more difficult.
McCarthy confirmed with YES Network that Cone will be back in 2026, calling more than 40 games. But he could be on the market for a new national gig just as NBC and Netflix get in the game and TNT Sports continues to tinker with its coverage.
However, a source told McCarthy that ESPN “wants to keep” Cone so long as he can manage his dual workload.
If Cone were to leave ESPN, it would create a huge opening on MLB at a time when the sport is experiencing a bounce-back. While ESPN will lay low without its SNB and Wild Card round postseason games for the next three seasons, the Worldwide Leader is expected to pursue a bigger postseason package (and potentially the World Series) in 2028.
In the short term, ESPN could opt to stick with Perez as the solo analyst in its top booth or promote one of its many other commentators. The network has also brought on recently retired big leaguers like Todd Frazier, Hunter Pence, and Xavier Scruggs for studio and game analysis.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.