MLB scrambles to ensure regional broadcasts will go on

Major League Baseball continues to make hurried plans to pick up coverage of more than half of the team broadcasts amid a financial nosedive by two primary regional sports networks.

AT&T Sports Net and Bally regional sports networks entered bankruptcy and already failed to produce payments of $140 million due to MLB in mid-February.

MLB hired three new executives on Wednesday, admitting the pressing need surrounds the collapse of regional operators that say they don’t have money to make required payments for the rights to televise games for 17 teams: the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers.

“These new hires are an important step in our preparation to address the changing landscape of MLB game distribution in light of the increasing challenges and pressure facing regional sports networks,” MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden said in a statement.

To address the potential default and bankruptcy matters with the sports networks and tie together alternative options, MLB said Wednesday that

Doug Johnson was hired as senior vice president and executive producer of local media, Greg Pennell as senior vice president of local media and

Kendall Burgess as vice president of local media technical operations.

Sinclair Broadcasting, part of Diamond Sports Group and the operator of Bally’s Sports, has rights to 14 MLB teams but reported standing debt of more than $8.6 billion with another $1 billion in rights fee payments due by the end of March. Even so, MLB hired Sinclair chief financial officer

Billy Chambers as executive vice president of local media effective Feb. 1.

AT&T, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, told the Rockies, Astros and Pirates they weren’t able to make rights fee payments this month and expected to enter Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.

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Phillies: Right-hander ●

Zack Wheeler sounded off about MLB implementing a pitch timer this season.

“I don’t like it,” Wheeler said on NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I guess you got to get comfortable with it. I mean, I don’t like it at all. I think it messes with the game too much.”

Wheeler, 32, later admitted that he felt rushed on the mound during the Phillies’ spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.

“Imagine a pitch clock when you’re trying to make the most important pitches in the playoffs, having something count down on you like this,” he said. “In Triple A, in the minor leagues, they’re playing for stuff, but they aren’t playing for what we’re playing for up here. It just adds something to it that isn’t part of the game.”

Pitchers have up to 15 seconds between pitches when the bases are empty and up to 20 seconds between pitches with at least one runner on base to deliver the ball to home plate.

Rockies: Second baseman ● Brendan Rodgers is scheduled to undergo additional tests on his dislocated left shoulder.

Rodgers sustained the injury while diving for a ball in the infield during the first inning of Tuesday’s Cactus League game against the Texas Rangers. Rodgers remained down for a few minutes before walking off the field with assistance.

Rodgers, 26, won his first Gold Glove last season. He batted .266 with 13 homers and 63 RBIs in 137 games in 2022. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft.

Dodgers: Mookie

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Betts and Jason Heyward hit their first home runs of the spring in a 4-2 win over the Rangers in Surprise, Arizona.