ESPN and MLB are reportedly close to an agreement that would allow the network to carry MLB.TV and the rights to all out-of-market baseball games — and select in-market baseball games — according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
The reported deal, which has not been signed yet, would give ESPN the ability to offer MLB.TV to fans as part of the network’s newly-launched direct-to-consumer streaming service. ESPN officially announced that service Thursday.
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It’s unclear exactly if — or how — the agreement will change how fans currently access MLB.TV, per Marchand. But the network could require fans to have an ESPN direct-to-consumer subscription to get access to MLB.TV. From The Athletic:
It is not fully clear yet if out-of-market subscribers who pay for the package through cable or other linear subscription would still be able to receive MLB.TV that way.
For digital consumers, fans are likely to need an ESPN direct-to-consumer subscription to go along with MLB.TV. The overall new pricing for MLB.TV is not yet decided.
In addition to that, ESPN would also obtain the rights to every out-of-network MLB game. That’s essentially what MLB.TV already provides to customers, as the service offers out-of-network games to fans. But it would also presumably allow ESPN to sell rights for certain out-of-network games to other networks or subscription services.
Events such as the Home Run Derby or “Sunday Night Baseball” could be sold to other networks by ESPN, which has previously held broadcast rights for those events. The network could also presumably sell any random out-of-market game to, as an example, Apple TV+. It’s unclear if that’s what the network has in mind if the deal goes through.
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ESPN is still expected to broadcast roughly 30 regular-season games per year, according to Marchand. Those games would presumably be available on the network, and not exclusive to its direct-to-consumer offering.
As part of the deal, ESPN will also control in-network games for five MLB teams: the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. Local fans who want to watch those teams would likely have to go through ESPN’s direct-to-consumer service. In addition to owning a subscription to that service — which costs $29.99 per month — the network could charge in-network consumers an additional fee to watch their favorite team’s games.
The reported agreement comes after a months-long feud between MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and ESPN. In February, ESPN decided to opt out of its partnership with the league following the 2025 MLB season. Manfred ripped the network a month later, saying he felt the league was “being treated disrespectfully” by ESPN.
It appears those issues are now water under the bridge if Thursday’s reported agreement comes to pass.
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Should the agreement go through, it would reportedly last for three years, per Marchand. MLB reportedly wants all of its broadcast rights to expire in 2029, allowing it to make a massive payday by auctioning off those rights to the highest bidder or bidders.
