Nick Piccone
Matt Stairs is leaving Comcast SportsNet as an analyst to become the new Phillies hitting coach. The announcement was made official earlier today. And while having a guy who played a huge part – DEEP INTO THE NIGHT – of the 2008 World Series team on the coaching staff is pretty awesome [and couldn’t be any worse than Steve Henderson, right?], the big news down the road might come in the form of Stairs’ CSN replacement.
According to Todd Zolecki, CSN and John Kruk, who recently left ESPN, have been involved in negotiations for him to become a regular contributor for Phillies games.
Sources told MLB.com that Kruk and CSN are discussing a deal. Kruk spent the past 12 years as an analyst with ESPN, but they mutually parted ways in October. At the time, Kruk said he wanted to continue his broadcasting career.
A CSN spokesperson had no comment about negotiations with Kruk, who could not be reached for comment. In a statement, CSN wished Stairs well. It also said, “At this time, we have no announcements regarding our Phillies broadcasts for 2017.”
If Kruk and CSN strike a deal, it is expected to be for a limited schedule.
A month ago, Kruk tweeted, “I will continue to pursue TV opportunities so I can continue covering the game I love.”