Rob Manfred joined the ESPN booth for a portion of the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast of the Little League Classic between the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets. While there, he discussed MLB’s ongoing media rights negotiations, including with ESPN.
ESPN’s Karl Ravech brought up the “elephant in the room” with Manfred, asking the commissioner about the “future of the television contracts.”
“We’re having very detailed conversations with a number of parties, including ESPN,” Manfred said. “We hope to have it resolved in the next couple of weeks. It’s a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle we’re trying to put together. But we will have it resolved in the next few weeks.”
The relationship between MLB and ESPN has been a talking point throughout the season. In February, the two sides “mutually” opted out of the deal, and it seemed as though the 2025 season would be the last in the longstanding partnership. But amid strong ratings, the door towards more negotiations has reportedly consistently remained open.
Ravech responded to Manfred’s comments by reiterating his hope that the relationship between ESPN and MLB can continue.
“I put my hand up, hoping that we stay involved,” Ravech said of ESPN. “And I know that Eddie [Eduardo Pérez] and Coney [David Cone] do, as well.”
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