In the letter, Manfred cited ESPN's lack of baseball coverage in its programming outside of the games as one of the reasons why he agreed to terminate the deal that was set to run through the 2028 season. However, CNN Sports' Kyle Feldscher reported that the breakup perhaps wasn't completely mutual.

ESPN laid off better baseball writers than most outlets have hired in the decade-plus before its relationship with MLB came to a cold and abrupt halt Thursday.