There is still hope that MLB will not be leaving ESPN.
The two sides have resumed talks to explore the possibility of extending their partnership, according to The Athletic.
This comes after it was announced in February that the sides were opting out of the remaining three years of a $550 million contract.
That meant this season could be the last for “Sunday Night Baseball,” the Home Run Derby, and MLB playoff games on ESPN.
So far, these new discussions are reportedly in their infancy.
The discussion will revolve around local rights and parts of ESPN’s former package.
As of now, neither MLB nor ESPN commented on the situation, according to The Athletic.
If a deal is not reached by October, it will mark the end of a 35-year partnership between the two.
Since opting out, NBC, Apple and Fox have all inquired about certain parts of ESPN’s former package.
These new discussions are surprising, as at one point, it seemed like MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was displeased with the way ESPN was handling MLB.
He said in a memo that ESPN was a “shrinking platform,” according to The Athletic, and said that he was “not pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage.
ESPN felt that it was paying too much and that the valuation was too high.
If MLB and ESPN were to link up once more, the deal would be for only three years, as MLB is reportedly trying to finalize all its rights agreements for the 2028 season.
One part of the MLB rights that intrigues ESPN is MLB.TV, which offers all out-of-market games for a subscription fee, according to The Athletic.
That might work well with ESPN+ or ESPN’s new streaming service, which is set to launch in the fall.
Time will tell if ESPN and MLB can reunite, or if it’s too late.
