Major League Baseball may have to stream games for free in certain markets this year, and there are four teams that could wind up costing the league big money.
Josh Kosman of the New York Post reports that Diamond Sports, which owns the home broadcast rights to 14 MLB teams, is expected to file for bankruptcy on March 17. During the bankruptcy proceedings, the media company is planning to reject the contracts of four teams — the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres.
Diamond has been paying the aforementioned teams more in rights fees than it collects in return through cable contracts and advertisements, according to the Post. Diamond stands to lose $20 million annually on the Padres alone.
