MLB working to push Padres games to ESPN platform starting next season

Major League Baseball is working toward a deal that would move Padres games to ESPN for three seasons beginning in 2026, a league source confirmed for the Union-Tribune.

The Athletic first reported on negotiations that would shift the full rights that MLB has for five teams— the Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies — to ESPN. The deal could be completed in September.

Padres fans can currently watch games on the MLB app and various cable providers. The current deal was struck in May 2023, when Bally Sports San Diego’s parent company stopped making payments on the 20-year, $1.2 billion contract. The move essentially wiped away $60 million in annual revenue.

MLB backstopped the Padres at 80% of its Bally contract in 2023, and a settlement reached after Diamond Sports Group defaulted on the Padres’ cable deal was expected to pay the team $17 million in total, the Union-Tribune reported in April 2024.

The Union-Tribune reported in March that the Padres generate between $20 to $30 million annually from current media deals, which expanded this year to include 10 over-the-air simulcasts on CBS 8 and The CW.

These deals have been negotiated by MLB as it gets its arms around a media landscape shaken by cord-cutting.

Because the deal with ESPN won’t be completed until sometime next month, a Padres spokesperson declined to comment outside of reiterating that nothing changes for 2025: “Once the season is over,” he said, “we will share more information for the 2026 season.”

Under the current deal, in-market fans can subscribe to Padres.TV for $99 for the season or $19.99 per month.

It remains to be seen what the cost will be moving forward. ESPN is in the middle of a direct-to-consumer platform push that costs $29.99 per month and does not require a cable, satellite or YouTube TV-type subscription. The reported three-year deal would expire at a time when MLB is expected to bundle its national and international rights as well as World Series and postseason rights to sell off for the 2029 season.

The framework of the deal that’s expected to be completed next month includes about 30 regular-season games on ESPN on a different night under the current, expiring “Sunday Night Baseball” rotation, according to The Athletic. Those games would only be available on ESPN through a cable, satellite or similar subscription.

The price that ESPN will pay for the rights that include Padres games is not yet known, nor is the potential windfall for the club’s finances. The Padres’ on-air talent are team employees and likely expected to continue in the same capacity as they did when broadcasts shifted form Bally Sports San Diego to Padres.TV.

ESPN had been paying an average of $550 million per year for “Sunday Night Baseball,” eight to 12 postseason games and the Home Run Derby before opting out of its final three years of that deal.