The Mariners will be shuttering the doors of ROOT Sports at the end of the year
SEATTLE — ROOT Sports, the broadcast home of the Seattle Mariners and other Seattle and Pacific Northwest-sports since 1988, will be shuttering its doors at the end of the year.
The Mariners, who've been majority owners of ROOT Sports since 2013 and full owners since 2024, announced that Major League Baseball will produce and distribute the team's games beginning in 2026. The announcement was made Friday ahead of Game 1 of the club's final regular season series of the year against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Telecasts for the remainder of the 2025 season won't change for ROOT Sports or the Mariners. Seattle will be the sixth team to have their games produced and distributed by MLB.
Full details on the future of Mariners broadcasts will be shared before the beginning of the 2026 season, per a news release shared by the team.
According to a report on "X" from Seattle Times reporter Ryan Divish, Mariners owner John Stanton held a staff meeting Monday at the main ROOT Sports headquarters to inform the workers of the plan. More than 25 people will be laid off by Nov. 3 and the channel will shut down Dec. 31.
Seattle had the following statement on the move:
"We continue to focus on new ways to bring our games in 2026 and beyond to our fans and we've determined joining with Major League Baseball is the best path. Beginning in 2026 and moving forward, Major League Baseball will provide opportunities to bring new features and benefits to viewers of Major League Baseball.
"We are incredible grateful for the dedication and excellence demonstrated by the [ROOT Sports] staff over the (nearly) four decades they have televised our games."
Most of the Mariners' current ROOT Sports broadcast team is employed by the organization. That "likely won't change for next season," according to another post on "X" from Divish.
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