The White Sox suffered their biggest loss of the offseason just as it was beginning.
TV voice Jason Benetti left to join the division-rival Tigers’ booth, the teams announced. Benetti had one year remaining on a contract he signed before last season.
That last negotiation was filled with acrimony partly because of Benetti’s national obligations with Fox, which he joined last year. The relationship had soured, and the Tigers swooped in with a significant offer that prompted Benetti to ask out of his contract, a source said.
Benetti’s multiyear deal with the Tigers will have him call a minimum of 127 games each season, allowing him to maintain national commitments. He figures to make his Tigers regular-season debut in the season opener March 28 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Benetti’s departure ends a pairing with Steve Stone that began in 2016, when Benetti called a partial schedule. He called 140 Sox games in 2018, and he and Stone became popular among viewers locally and nationally.
“Certainly, I enjoyed all of my time with Jason,” Stone said. “He’s a wonderful broadcaster. He’s probably the most well-prepared broadcaster that I know of. We all do things that either make our life easier, or we do things for assorted reasons. I wish him a whole lot of luck.”
Sox chief revenue and marketing officer Brooks Boyer said in a statement: “We want to thank Jason Benetti for all he has done for the Chicago White Sox and for all he means to White Sox fans. With Len Kasper fully committed to radio, our next step is to find the best person to pair with Steve Stone to continue to provide White Sox fans with smart, entertaining, and informative broadcasts in 2024.”
The Tigers held a Zoom call for Benetti, who knew how his move would be perceived.
“I know what people might say about me leaving and all of that, but the White Sox didn’t have to grant permission to have this opportunity,” he said. “There are a lot of great people I care about deeply. The White Sox hired me, a person who doesn’t walk normally [because of cerebral palsy], to be the front facing person in their organization in 2016. The only reason I’m here is because of them.”
Stone understands that the parting won’t sit well with Sox fans, who already are frustrated with the team’s performance on the field after a 101-loss season.
“Jason was a great listen and a wonderful broadcaster, and he’s certainly gonna be missed,” Stone said. “I told him many years ago, he will be as successful as he wants to be and make as much money as he really needs because he’s that good.”
Benetti’s portfolio of national broadcasts had been increasing for years. At ESPN, he called college football and basketball and “Sunday Night Baseball” Statcasts. With NBC Sports, he called Olympic baseball and was the first voice of Peacock’s “MLB Sunday Leadoff.” Now he’s calling major-league baseball and college football and basketball for Fox.
His increased profile became too big for the Sox, even though many local announcers also work some sort of national package. The practice has become more prevalent than ever. The days of teams having one dedicated announcer are long over.
Just look around Chicago. Bulls TV voice Adam Amin calls NFL and MLB games for Fox. Cubs TV voice Jon Sciambi calls “Sunday Night Baseball” for ESPN Radio and college basketball for ESPN. Blackhawks TV voice Chris Vosters calls college football for Big Ten Network and college basketball on FS1.
The writing was on the wall in January even after the Sox announced they had picked up a two-year option on Benetti’s contract.
“It was kind of a pain, really,” Benetti told me Feb. 1 of contract talks. “Things get said, and then you end up with a deal. There were some things that we had to get through that I thought were silly, and I’m sure they thought some of the stuff that I was talking about might’ve been silly. But we got there in the end.”
Regardless of how the team has fared on the field, the Sox’ TV job is a good get. It’s in the nation’s No. 3 media market, and Sox rights-holder NBC Sports Chicago is in much better standing than its brethren at Bally Sports networks, whose owner is in bankruptcy court.
There figures to be a lot of interest, but keep an eye on Mike Monaco. He filled in for Benetti when he was out with COVID in 2021. He also has filled in for Amin on Bulls broadcasts and was a strong candidate for the Blackhawks’ job after Pat Foley retired.
