NBC will have some well-known names in its studio when it returns to covering Major League Baseball this year.
Network finalizes deals with Clayton Kershaw, Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo to join its broadcasts for 2026 and beyond, according to Front Office Sports.
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Collectively, the group brings a playing experience that includes a total of 49 years in MLB with 20 All-Star nods, 6 Gold Gloves, 3 Cy Young Awards, 2 MVPs, 2 Roberto Clemente Awards and 4 World Series titles. All three would have been sought-after names in the broadcasting world this winter, and NBC got them all.
It’s unclear how the exact roles will break down here, although it’s pretty easy to imagine a studio show with the trio like the one on Fox Sports with Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. Kershaw, who retired from MLB last year but still plans to pitch during the 2026 World Baseball Classicexpected to work a limited schedule.
Votto last played in MLB in 2023 and has long been known as one of the game’s most thoughtful players. Rizzo last played in 2024 and officially retired last September, ending a career that saw him play multiple years in two major markets and help end the Chicago Cubs’ 108-year World Series drought.
Clayton Kershaw will return to MLB in 2026, in a different role. (Photo by John McCoy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Sportswire Icon via Getty Images)
NBC’s long tenure as MLB’s broadcast partner ended in 2000 when Fox took over the league’s biggest games, but the network reached a deal last year that will have it paying nearly $200 million a year for “Sunday Night Baseball,” formerly of ESPN, and a “Sunday Leadoff” package, as well as a July 5 slate of games..
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The Peacock streaming platform will be the exclusive home of many of these games, as indicated in its broadcast schedule. Peacock also aired these “Sunday Leadoff” matches in 2022 and 2023.
NBC, which already hosts the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football” and the Olympics, has been betting more than ever on sports lately, between this deal with MLB, a recent meeting with the NBA that carried out a similar playbook and its 10-figure deal with the Big Ten that began in 2023.
