In N.Y., Andrew Marchand cited sources as saying that YES Network's David Cone and ESPN have been "in discussions about potential roles," including "Sunday Night Baseball." ESPN execs and Alex Rodriguez "like how Rodriguez worked with Cone and Michael Kay during a five-inning stint on YES last year." If Jessica Mendoza is "replaced, ESPN executives stressed it will not be because of her comments" criticizing former Astros P Mike Fiers for whistle-blowing. ESPN is "still very high on her," which is "why if she is removed from SNB, it is expected she will continue to have a very high profile position on ESPN's air." Mendoza "could be part of a weekday game broadcast crew or expand her presence in studio" (N.Y. POST, 1/18).
CUTTING DOWN THE ROSTER: In Boston, Chad Finn reported WEEI has "shortened its rotation for its Red Sox radio broadcast team this season." Longtime play-by-play voice Joe Castiglione "will be joined by three primary broadcasters this season: Will Flemming, Sean McDonough, and Lou Merloni." All three were "part of the much larger rotating cast the station used last season, when the likes of Chris Berman, Mario Impemba, and Josh Lewin were among those to call games." The rotation "generally worked well in a given game but left much to desire in terms of series-to-series consistency on the broadcast." WEEI "did not announce how many games each of the broadcasters will be calling" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/18).
STAYING THE SAME: In Atlanta, Tim Tucker noted the Braves "expect no major changes on the air" for the '20 season. Play-by-play voice Chip Caray and analyst Jeff Francoeur "will return" on the FS South and FS Southeast telecasts. Meanwhile, Braves President & CEO Derek Schiller said that Jim Powell, Joe Simpson and Ben Ingram "will return this year in the same roles as last season on the Braves' radio broadcasts," but the number of games each works "could be adjusted slightly" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 1/18).
