Unlike Major League Baseball, which is implementing changes to the sport at a rate that was previously unthinkable for fans, ESPN is staying the course when it comes to its baseball coverage this season.
The network announced on Tuesday that its lead Sunday Night Baseball team will remain unchanged from the last several years. That means Karl Ravech will return as the lead play-by-play announcer alongside analysts David Cone and Eduardo Pérez. Buster Olney will continue to work the dugouts as an on-field reporter.
ESPN’s lead team enters its fourth season together after making its debut in 2022. They will call a game on Opening Day as well as ESPN’s MLB Wild Card Series matchup during the postseason.
In addition, Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown will feature the same cast of characters as prior years. Kevin Connors will host most editions of the show, while Tim Kurkjian, Jeff Passan, Xavier Scruggs, and Jessica Mendza will make regular appearances as contributors.
Kevin Brown, Roxy Bernstein, Mike Monaco, Mike Couzens, Anish Shroff, Ben McDonald and Gregg Olson will also provide commentary throughout the season.
ESPN’s commitment to MLB will soon be put to the test. Recent reports indicate that the network is likely to exercise the opt-out in its media rights contract with the league, which would force MLB back to the negotiating table prior to the 2026 season. ESPN has until March to choose whether it will, in fact, exercise the option.
Should that happen, MLB will be at risk of losing $550 million in annual revenue it currently gets from ESPN. The network is reportedly upset with what it sees as an overpay for its package relative to the inventory it receives.
