For better or worse, Fox Sports continues to roll the dice on Alex Rodriguez being one of the faces of its MLB coverage. Even after the addition of Derek Jeter, which has made for a bit of awkwardness on set, considering their disdain for one another, Fox Sports is betting on Rodriguez to be a part of its studio coverage for years to come.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rodriguez is closing in on a contract extension with Fox Sports. If the deal is completed, it would keep Rodriguez being the face of the MLB on Fox operation for multiple years, though right now, the current details of the extension are not readily available.
“Terms of the new Fox deal were not immediately clear, though it is believed to be the most lucrative deal yet for an MLB analyst, with a term of more than three years.”
In an era of budget cuts across media, Fox Sports hasn’t been shy to splash the cash for superstars turned analysts as A-Rod’s new extension would come on the heels of the network’s 10-year, $375 million contract with Tom Brady.
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that this contract extension would be an exclusive one for Rodriguez, meaning his partnership with Yankees play-by-Michael Kay voice on ESPN’s KayRod Cast would be coming to a close after the completion of the 2023 MLB season.
Rodriguez is currently an MLB studio analyst for Fox Sports and has been a part of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball team since 2018. His alternate Sunday Night Baseball broadcast with Kay has been ESPN’s foil to the baseball version of the ManningCast, albeit there hasn’t been anywhere near the same level of success.
Fox Sports betting on Rodriguez is another curious case considering the controversies he’s been embroiled in over the years. His latest strange moment came on the KayRod Cast alternate Sunday Night Baseball broadcast with Kay for the New York Mets-Boston Red Sox game this past Sunday, where he chose a rather unusual analogy to explain a swing:
"Posture up and right down… like you're punching a little person."- A-Rod pic.twitter.com/6E5NuQE54J
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 24, 2023
There, Rodriguez says “Posture up and [swing] right down, I’m going to get in trouble, it’s like you’re punching a little person. With your right hand and that knee down, boom, right there. Now you’re on top of the baseball.”
We’ll have to see how this ultimately plays out for Fox Sports, as their investment in Rodriguez is for more than just the foreseeable future.
