Joe Buck’s Surprise “Dancing With the Stars” Guest-Judge Gig Shakes Up Monday Night Football Fans

Lead play-by-play announcer Joe Buck may be inching back toward the baseball booth just months after claiming the 2026 Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence, as ESPN is reportedly courting him to headline its coverage if the network lands a share of future World Series rights. For nearly a quarter-century Buck’s voice defined October baseball, calling a record 24 Fall Classics for Fox before moving to ESPN in 2022 to pair with Troy Aikman on Monday Night Football. Sources told Yahoo Sports that ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro has already told Buck he would “like him to call” the World Series should Major League Baseball split its marquee event between multiple broadcasters in its upcoming media-rights cycle, which could be finalized as early as next season. The timing is significant. Buck’s Frick Award induction in July—honoring his “economy of words” and ability to “let big moments breathe,” as he explained during an MLB Network sit-down in Cooperstown—rekindled nostalgia among fans who associated his measured cadence with some of the game’s most dramatic highlights. Pair that sentiment with ESPN’s aggressive push to expand its baseball footprint, and the stage is set for a high-profile reunion. Buck, 57, has publicly maintained that he was “content” leaving the World Series stage to Joe Davis, but industry insiders note his ESPN contract contains enough flexibility to add postseason baseball without disrupting his NFL obligations. With Monday Night Football shifting several late-season games to Saturdays, Buck would theoretically be free during late October—precisely when the World Series is played. From ESPN’s perspective, bringing Buck back would provide instant gravitas at a moment when streaming-era fragmentation has made audience retention harder than ever. A familiar soundtrack could entice lapsed viewers, boost cross-platform promotion on ESPN+, and help justify the reported $150 million-per-year price tag MLB is seeking for a partial package. For MLB, meanwhile, a Buck-led booth on ESPN would diversify its broadcast voices without sacrificing prestige. Fans accustomed to Fox’s production would still hear the game called by one of its signature narrators, while ESPN could pair Buck with analysts like Jessica Mendoza or David Cone to freshen the presentation. No deal is imminent—MLB’s exclusive negotiation window with Fox and Turner runs into early 2027—but the mere possibility has already spurred social-media debate over which network can best showcase October drama. If ESPN’s bid succeeds, the 2027 World Series could double as Buck’s silver-anniversary return to the Fall Classic and a highly rated kickoff for baseball’s next media era.