### MLB Commissioner Expresses Relief Over Diamond Sports Group's Bankruptcy Resolution

**NEW YORK** – Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed a significant sense of relief following the resolution of Diamond Sports Group's bankruptcy. The conclusion of the bankruptcy proceedings brings immediate stability as MLB plans its long-term media rights strategy.

During the owners' meetings on Wednesday, Manfred stated, “I think the good news is that we did a pretty good job in terms of maximizing the economics for the clubs. We never lost a game. And we have a lot of flexibility come 2028, which was our primary focus.”

Last Thursday, a bankruptcy judge approved Diamond's reorganization plan, enabling the biggest operator of regional sports networks in the United States to emerge from bankruptcy after 20 months. Diamond will move forward with contracts involving at least six MLB teams. Meanwhile, MLB currently holds local media rights, including linear TV and in-market streaming rights, for seven teams.

The six teams that recently signed new deals with Diamond—the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Rays—will see their contracts expire by 2028. This timing aligns with the expiration of MLB’s major national agreements with ESPN, Fox, and Turner, signaling a strategic alignment.

By 2028, MLB hopes to have half of its teams' broadcast rights available for new negotiations. The ultimate aim is for MLB to control both linear and digital rights for all 30 clubs, making these available for comprehensive national-network negotiations. This approach is expected to maximize revenue and eliminate local blackouts, significantly expanding the league’s reach. However, persuading teams with stable regional content deals, such as the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees, to surrender their media rights remains a challenge.

Manfred emphasized, “We believe we have to convince the clubs that it’s in their economic interest to do that. More games on national outlets is an important key to maximizing your revenue.”

For the 2025 season, MLB will broadcast games for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and San Diego Padres. The Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals are undecided but could potentially join. The Seattle Mariners are also anticipated to join.

Adding the Diamond Sports Group-affiliated teams could raise the count to at least 14 to 16 clubs under a national broadcasting umbrella, with more possibly joining by 2028. However, big-market teams that are critical for making MLB's media offerings attractive to buyers are less likely to share their local-media revenue evenly.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, whose team holds a 25% ownership in YES Network, noted that discussions regarding these matters have yet to begin. “We just haven’t gotten into it enough that I could give you an intelligent answer,” Steinbrenner said. Mets owner Steve Cohen also declined to comment, noting his team does not own a portion of SNY, which manages the Mets' broadcasting rights through 2030.

Transforming to a national broadcasting model would require player union approval due to changes in revenue-sharing structures. Achieving consensus among all 30 teams will be a complex task.

Manfred concluded, “There are mechanics and existing agreements we’re going to have to work through. But if you're making a change that you believe is going to significantly increase your revenue over the long haul, it gives you that great thing that helps you solve a lot of problems. It’s called money.”