The New York Mets broadcasting trio is back together again. Keith Hernandez is set to return to the SNY booth for a few more seasons.
With spring training set to begin in less than 40 days, SNY has made a significant announcement involving one of their current play-by-play announcers. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, SNY is currently finalizing a deal with Keith Hernandez.
The broadcaster’s new contract is expected to be worth three years and $2.4 million. Marchand notes that Hernandez is expected to call 110 games and earn somewhere between $800K to $850K each season. The former first baseman could see his salary totaling upwards of $2.5 million over the next three seasons.
SNY was previously unsure if Hernandez would be back for another season. He had signed a four-year contract prior to the 2016 season that ended at the end of the 2019 season. The two sides had not been able to come to an agreement on an extension during the season.
Despite opting for a three-year deal this time, Marchand insists that the 66-year-old has no intention of retiring once his new deal expires after the 2022 season. In fact, there’s optimism that Hernandez is planning to remain in the broadcast booth for the “long haul.”
Hernandez, who spent seven seasons with the New York Mets, has been a member of SNY’s broadcast team since 2006. The fan-favorite has joined his former teammate, Ron Darling, and Gary Cohen in the booth since the 2006 season.
The Mets have made the playoffs just three times over the last 14 seasons, but Mets fans still enjoy the games. SNY’s outstanding broadcasting trio has eased the pain of a lot of Mets’ fans through their many miserable seasons over the last 14 years.
SNY’s trio has been regarded as one of the best in baseball for a while now. They are one of only two teams in baseball to rank in the top four broadcast teams in every iteration of awfulannouncing.com‘s league-wide fan vote. The other broadcast team is the San Francisco Giants.
Based on their success, keeping this trio together was a no brainer for SNY. It’s a connection that will hopefully continue on through this current decade.
