Photo: Doug Gray
When Joey Votto stepped into the broadcast booth for the Cincinnati Reds while he was on the injured list in 2022 many felt that it hinted at a potential job he could land after his playing career was over. He was quick-witted, funny, and obviously knew what he was watching on the field and was able to articulate that well. The time has come where that’s going to happen. Votto officially retired in 2024 after attempting to make the Toronto Blue Jays club, but suffered an injury in spring training and never quite recovered. He took off the 2025 season and seemed to enjoy his retirement, but reports today from Front Office Sports say he’s joining NBC Sports in 2026 to be a part of their coverage.
NBC is taking over Sunday Night Baseball and they will also broadcast the wild card round of the MLB playoffs. They are filling out their lineup of broadcasters and analysts and Votto is one of several big name players who recently retired who are joining their crew. Anthony Rizzo and Clayton Kershaw are also expected to be a part of the NBC Sports lineup.
Rizzo is going to be the lead studio analyst for NBC. Kershaw is going to have a limited schedule where he will also be a studio analyst for certain games. Votto’s role wasn’t as specific in the reporting by Front Office Sports, but the expectation is that he will also be a studio analyst.
NBC has Sunday Night Baseball, Sunday leadoff (early and exclusive Sunday games during the season), the wild card round in the playoffs, and “special event” games for 2026, 2027, and 2028. They will also carry a “game of the day” during the regular season on Peacock, which will be available to subscribers outside of the two team’s market.
The deals with Rizzo, Kershaw, and Votto do not specify how long they are, nor for how much. That must be a nice change of pace for guys who have had their salary known by anyone who wanted to know for the last 20 years.
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