ESPN has officially announced that it will opt out of its contract with Major League Baseball after the 2025 season.

The two corporations initially signed a seven-year media deal in 2021, averaging $550 million per season, with a March 1 deadline for ESPN to opt out of the final three years.

"We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN's coverage super-serves fans," the network said in a statement.

"As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025."

ESPN has broadcast MLB games since 1990 but scaled back its coverage under the current contract to 30 regular-season games.

"Unfortunately in recent years, we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport's appeal or performance on their platform," MLB said in a statement.ย 

"Given that MLB provides strong viewership, valuable demographics, and the exclusive right to cover unique events like the Home Run Derby, ESPN's demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable. As a result, we have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement."

In a letter obtained by The Athletic, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred attributed ESPN's opt-out primarily to the deal's costs, noting Apple's $85 million USD per year for baseball rights and Roku's $10 million USD per year.

"Over the past several months, ESPN has approached us with a desire to reduce the amount they pay for MLB content over the remainder of the term," Manfred wrote in the letter.ย 

"Publicly and privately ESPN has pointed to lower rights fees paid by Apple and Roku in their deals with MLB. We believe arguments based on the Apple and Roku deals are inapt and we have rejected ESPN's aggressive effort to reduce rights fees for several reasons."

The 2025 MLB season will kick off in Japan at the Tokyo Dome, where the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs will play two games on March 18 and 19. Following these international matchups, the traditional Opening Day for all 30 teams is set for Thursday, March 27.