There are a lot of questions surrounding the announcement of the Reds departure from Diamond Sports Group and Bally Sports. The Reds announced that they, as some other MLB teams have decided to do, will have MLB produce all their games for the 2025 season. You can learn all about that from an article we published earlier in the week here. Who will be in the broadcast booths, both radio and TV? There could be some changes going forward, here are a few play by play broadcasters I have in mind. These are not based on any facts or rumors.
When Doug Healy, the Reds’ chief operating officer and chief financial officer was asked, Who will be calling Reds games on TV? His answer was;
“We haven’t had a chance to sit down and finalize our broadcaster lineup for the 2025 season. We will be doing that in the not-to-distant future.”
The Current Team: Sadak, Welch, Larkin, etc
As far as I’m aware, Sadak is employed by Diamond Sports Group/Bally and will technically not be the Reds lead broadcaster while the TV deal is held by MLB. Unless….the Reds just hire John Sadak as a team employee and continue with the current crop of commentators and analysts. I like Sadak, he brings a lot of energy when things are going right. My only gripe, is when the team is underperforming, you can hear it in his tone. John brings a nice analytic touch to the booth and he has had some legendary calls in the Elly De La Cruz era.
Jim Kelch:
Jim Kelch is currently a play by play commentator for the AAA Louisville Bats along side Nick Curran. Kelch could be an easy transition. Jim also helped with the Reds broadcast team from 2010-2017. The only issue was, the Reds did not extend him in 2018 as a team employee so maybe they would be hesitant on a reunion.
Jeff Brantley:
Could the “Cowboy” return to a prominent role on TV and work along side Barry Larkin, Chris Welsh or possibly some one new? Brantley currently splits time with Tommy Thrall on the radio side of the broadcast team and is employed by the Reds. Jeff Brantley brings tons of fun into the broadcast booth. But, because he was a former pitcher, he also is able to balance the laughs with insights from the mound that make him a loving analyst.
Okay hear me out…Joey Votto:
Joey seemed to do very well going into the broadcast booth while recovering from shoulder surgery in 2022. Nick Krall has stated that Joey has an open invitation to do anything he would like in the Reds organization. Why not play by play? Fun fact, Joey Votto provided play by play on Spencer Steer’s first career home run from the booth and it seemed natural. A fan favorite, a legend in the city, maybe he could transition into the broadcast team in the near future.
When Healey was asked about the current statis of other employees of Bally Sports Ohio his reply was;
“I think it’s important, especially for the staff behind the scenes in addition to the TV talent, that we want to retain as many of the same folks as we possibly can. Before we make any commitments, we want to make sure that we have had conversations with MLB.”
But, he did recently sell his Cincinnati home. If you planned to take a job of any kind with a team, I would think selling the house you own in the city of the team is counterproductive.
Another very popular Red’s face and voice is Jim Day. He does interviews pre and post game and gets all the “Dirt from the Dugout” as he has a permanent home in the camera well. He has also filled in when needed on radio and or television. Plus, he does a great podcast, The Jim Day Podcast, that you can still find on the official Reds website.
When the question was asked of Mr. Healy if the pre and post game programing would be unchanged he responded;
“We haven’t had a chance to sit down and finalize our broadcaster lineup for the 2025 season. We will be doing that in the not-to-distant future.”
We also can’t forget about our three pre and post game broadcast team members Sam LeCure, Brian Giesenschlag and Annie Sabo. I am sure there is a difference in what they currently do, and being promoted to either the TV or Radio booth. But I would not be opposed to any of the three of them getting a shot. I do realize that two of them have other commitments; Brian does the same with job for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Annie Sabo also works for the Big 10 Network, but I am sure something can be worked out if needed.
Who would you like to see in the Reds broadcast booth? Share your thoughts and follow me on 𝕏 for Reds offseason updates.
Photo Credit; Feature Picture theSCORE.com
All quotes taken from an article written by Mark Sheldon for MLB.com
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