Adam Wainwright will be a future MLB Broadcaster...but for which network?

It has been known for several years that Adam Wainwright will have a career in broadcasting. He has been covering the ALDS since 2020 and continues to shine. With him being retired from his playing days in MLB, it is only a matter of time for networks to throw him offers to join their full-time broadcast teams. The question is….who will get Waino? Here are the most likely networks to win the Adam Wainwright sweepstakes:

1. Fox Sports

Given his previous work with the network, he already has a foot in the door. He works well with former teammate A.J. Pierzynski, does excellent breakdowns with pitchers during games, and has the personality to present himself to the national spotlight. Fox Sports has been revamping its MLB team over the last several seasons. With continuous growth, maybe more changes are ahead. John Smoltz has been at it for a while with Joe Buck and Joe Davis. But Adam Wainwright feels like the right choice to take over.

2. Bally Sports

It is already rumored that Wainwright will fill in part-time for the Cardinals' coverage, which was expected. Waino loves St. Louis and will most likely never leave the area. He is fully embraced by the fans and the city which makes this decision a no-brainer. So the big question is how much air time will he receive? Brad Thompson has been doing an excellent job and received a large promotion for 2023, so he will not be going anywhere anytime soon. With the reduction of air time for Jim Edmonds, that can be Waino’s starting point. 

3. ESPN

ESPN is desperate for a revamp. The company has been losing talent and brand recognition for the past 10 years and recently has made changes to help turn the ship. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have joined the NFL crew, the NBA team did a massive shake-up, and Shannon Sharpe has taken over First Take with Stephen A. Smith. MLB is the last team to get a massive overhaul. They have made some changes by replacing Matt Vasgerigina with longtime Baseball Tonight anchor Karl Rachech, removing Alex Rodriguez from the main broadcast, and filling in David Cone. But the situation seems perfect to get Joe Buck back into MLB with Adam Wainwright as his running mate. 

4. TBS

TBS is widely underrated and has offered the most stability of any MLB broadcast. The pre/post-game coverage is exceptional. Ernie Johnson is a legend across multiple sports and continues to offer high-quality coverage of the sport. Brian Anderson is becoming a prominent voice for the MLB postseason and is electric in the big moments. Adam Wainwright would fit right in with this broadcast, it is just a matter of if they want to make any changes to the existing product. 

5. MLB Network

With a deep lineup of analysts and broadcasters, it will be hard to fit in a new candidate. The network has held back from postseason games recently and focuses more on nightly recaps across the league and daily talk shows. The fit does not seem to be there, but maybe they can make an exception since it is Adam Wainwright.