Part 4/8:
The contract between MLB and ESPN was lucrative on paper, with ESPN paying an astonishing $550 million a year for streaming rights that mostly included low-stakes regular season games and a few major events like the All-Star Game and Wild Card playoffs. However, many within ESPN believed that they were overpaying for content that wasn't drawing in television ratings commensurate with their investment.
Despite a sensational playoff performance that sparked a resurgence of excitement around baseball, the underlying reality remained that much of the regular season was viewed as inconsequential. Thus, the decision to sever ties from ESPN was, in part, driven by financial considerations, as the network determined that the value of MLB was not justifying the exorbitant fees.