In a major announcement last night, Major League Baseball revealed that they will be ending their partnership with ESPN after the 2025 season. This is great news for real baseball fans.
Declining Baseball Coverage on ESPN
Over the past decade, ESPN has drastically reduced its baseball coverage in favor of more football and basketball content. This shift has coincided with a broader decline in ESPN’s overall programming. Gone are the days of daily highlights on SportsCenter, there’s an overwhelming emphasis on women’s basketball (a sport I have nothing against, but feel the coverage is overdone), and the promotion of gambling has become extreme, with ESPN now even running its own sports book. While I enjoy betting on sports, there’s a sense of discomfort with a single company controlling both the media and the betting markets.
The Glory Days of ESPN’s Baseball Coverage
As kids, we all grew up watching Baseball Tonight multiple nights a week, enjoying hours of highlights and expert commentary. But today’s ESPN seems to be more focused on loudmouth talking heads and sensationalized takes for engagement rather than presenting sports authentically. Even the baseball broadcasts themselves have taken a turn for the worse. The current team in the booth doesn’t come close to the legendary one of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, and even the theme song has gotten worse.
Why MLB and ESPN’s Split Makes Sense
With ESPN’s baseball coverage now limited to just one or two games a week, it’s no surprise that MLB and ESPN have agreed to part ways. Instead of leaving national baseball broadcasts in the hands of a network that doesn’t seem invested in the sport, it makes sense to transition those games to a network that prioritizes baseball, such as Fox or Turner.
To ESPN, I say: good riddance.
My 2025 MLB Future Bets
In celebration of ESPN’s contract ending, I’m placing some future bets for the upcoming MLB season. Last year, I profited on the Yankees’ division win plus money, the Guardians’ division win at huge odds, and an incredible comeback from the Astros that saved my season.
Here’s what I’m betting on this year:
1. Yankees Division Winner (+110)
This is a no-brainer. With the Yankees at plus money, I’m all in. There’s no team in the American League that can compete with them.
2. Royals Division Winner (+290)
I don’t see the Guardians winning the division in back-to-back seasons. With rising stars like Cole Ragans and Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals are primed to make a leap this season.
3. Rangers Division Winner (+190)
The Rangers’ World Series win was just two years ago, and the team is still stacked. With the Astros losing key players and the Mariners failing to improve in the offseason, I’m backing the Rangers and their dynamic lineup. Plus, I’m excited to see what Jacob deGrom can bring to the table this year.
4. Brewers Division Winner (+310)
While I do like the Cubs to win the NL Central, there’s too much value in the Brewers, who dominated the division by 10 games last season.
Conclusion
With ESPN stepping away from Major League Baseball, the future of baseball broadcasts looks brighter. It’s time for networks that understand the sport to take the reins, and in the meantime, I’ll be placing my bets on teams with strong futures in 2025.
Tough Money Sports 