Report: ESPN closes in on Twins TV rights with deal that could raise prices

It appears that the Twins could be one of five teams under ESPN's control 2026 through 2028.

Jul 9, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is interviewed on the ESPN set prior to the 2019 MLB All Star Game at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins are one of five teams whose games in 2026, 2027 and 2028 could be streamed and televised exclusively by ESPN. In fact, the only thing that appears to be standing between that becoming a reality is ESPN and Major League Baseball finalizing a deal.

Those two sides, according to The Athletic, have a "framework agreement" in place that could be signed in September. This is a significant update from a month ago, when MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league was in talks for Sunday Night Baseball rights with Apple, ESPN and NBC, involving a deal with one or more of the parties that would include the local television and streaming rights to the Twins, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Rockies, and Padres.

MLB currently handles television and streaming distribution for the Twins through Twins.TV.

The Athletic reports that ESPN, if able to finalize the deal, would have "full rights to in- and out-of-market games for five teams," including the Twins starting in 2026. It would be a three-year agreement, keeping the Twins on ESPN through the 2028 season.

"Fans would likely need to subscribe to ESPN either directly or through an operator, and then, for an added price, they would be able to receive their local teams’ games," The Athletic said.

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The Athletic went on to say fans will "likely" need the ESPN direct-to-consumer product that debuted Thursday, in addition to an MLB.TV subscription. This is where the costs start to pile up, though nothing is certain at this point.

ESPN's direct-to-consumer service features an unlimited plan for $29.99 per month or $299 per year, or a select plan for $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year. Twins fans would then need an MLB.TV subscription that could have a similar price in the region of $29.99 a month, which could put the monthly bill around $40-$60 per month for Minnesota fans.

Twins.TV currently costs $19.99 per month or $99.99 per season, so being required to pay for both ESPN new's service and MLB.TV could get quite expensive. It's unclear if fans who subscribe to a TV provider that includes ESPN will be able to simply add Twins games for an additional price.