David Cone had been part of a trio with Karl Ravech on play-by-play and analyst Eduardo Perez for four years. Wendell Cruz / USA Today via Imagn Images

David Cone will not be returning to ESPN’s MLB coverage as the network moves from “Sunday Night Baseball” to weeknight games, the network confirmed on Friday.

Cone had been part of a trio with Karl Ravech on play-by-play and analyst Eduardo Perez for four years. While ESPN is still figuring out its commentator lineup for this season, the network has shown interest in utilizing Joey Votto for a handful of games, according to sources briefed on discussions.

NBC, which is taking over “Sunday Night Baseball,” has interest in Votto, as well. Clayton Kershaw and Anthony Rizzo are also on NBC’s radar, according to sources briefed on NBC and Peacock executives’ pursuits.

Cone will continue as a top analyst on Yankee games on the YES Network. He is not precluded from securing national assignments, with NBC as an option since it has not made hires for its games. Additionally, Netflix requires broadcasting help for a handful of games, including Opening Day between the Yankees and the San Francisco Giants.

Cone, 63, was well-liked at ESPN and, if the network had continued with Sundays, would likely have returned. With ESPN having 30 weekday games sporadically spread out, it made it difficult to continue.

“We appreciate David’s many contributions to our Major League coverage and wish him the best,” ESPN said in a statement.

Andrew Marchand is a Sr. Sports Media Columnist for The Athletic. He previously worked for the New York Post and ESPN, where he predominantly covered sports media and baseball. In 2024, he won the Associated Press Sports Editors' top national award for beat writing for his coverage of sports media. Marchand also has his own twice-weekly sports media podcast available at AndrewMarchand.com.