Inside Apple TV+ 2023 MLB shakeup: new booths, schedule reveal

Apple is very secretive, which makes it even more fun to break news about them. So let’s do it.

The Post has obtained Apple TV+’s Friday night MLB broadcast schedule through July 14. The Mets and Yankees each will be on twice in that time.

April 21: Blue Jays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET

May 26: Padres at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET

June 23: Mets at Phillies, 7:05 p.m. ET

July 14: Dodgers at Mets, 7:10 p.m. ET

Remember: These games are exclusive to Apple TV+ — there is no other way to watch them. The Yankees and Mets are slated to have two more Apple games apiece in the second half of the season.

We’ll print the entire Apple TV+ MLB schedule at the bottom of the newsletter. Apple declined to comment on the schedule.

Apple news 2.0: Last week, we told you Katie Nolan and Melanie Newman would not be returning and Dontrelle Willis was joining Wayne Randazzo on one broadcast crew. Let’s give you some more news.

The other crew, according to sources, is expected to be LA Kings and Fox Sports play-by-player Alex Faust and Rockies analyst Ryan Spilborghs.

Apple news 3.0: Let’s do some more: Apple is not doing doubleheaders for most of the first half. There are some weeks when the games aren’t simultaneous, but even most of those are staggered starts rather than back-to-back 7 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET starts. The new timing probably makes sense because this is streaming and not linear TV, for which you need to fill out a schedule.

NFL TV free agency: The Rex effect

During Super Bowl week, we listed our top NFL TV free agents, which might become an annual list. As we noted in the column, what makes the offseason fun is surprises. And we could have a whopper if ESPN’s Rex Ryan ends up leaving an NFL TV studio and joining Sean Payton on the Broncos sidelines. Ryan would be fun as a defensive coordinator, but it also would open up a spot on “Sunday NFL Countdown.”

The move for ESPN seems pretty obvious: to add either Marcus Spears or Mina Kimes. After years of “NFL Live” being a bit of a slog, the show got it right by featuring the team of Laura Rutledge, Dan Orlovsky, Kimes and Spears. But that doesn’t mean ESPN shouldn’t have upward mobility.

We have been high on Spears and Kimes for a long time. Here is a column I wrote on Spears in October 2019. Here is a feature I wrote on Kimes a little more than a year ago.

These are the types of folks ESPN should be promoting. Spears is the rare player-turned-analyst who can own a TV screen. Kimes is a rarity as a woman NFL analyst, and she stands out because her opinions are well-reasoned.

Quick Clicks

Someone to watch whom we didn’t mention in the NFL TV free agent column is Matt Ryan. The veteran quarterback still could play next season, but if he doesn’t, we are told he is very interested in a career in broadcasting. He almost won a Super Bowl with the Falcons and has had a nice career, but would have to prove it in the booth to one day be a No. 1 analyst. Tom Brady and Tony Romo, who had stature as a former Cowboy, were able to land jobs in a top network booth without ever putting on a headset. With the big money available in the booth, any future top analyst openings would spark a competition with current Fox No. 1 Greg Olsen, Sean McVay and Mike Tomlin (if he ever left the sideline) all potentially part of the mix.  … To be clear, the Pac-12 will get a TV deal. It is just hard to see how the conference gets one that will be incredible. Fox will only do a sweetheart agreement. Amazon is not going to go crazy. Mickey Mouse just told ESPN to watch its wallet for items that are nice but not must-haves. Speculation alert: Could Apple be a savior? Like the Pac-12, the company is West Coast-based, but even if they came up with a nice number, I would have serious concerns about college football putting its best games on a streamer at this point. There are too many games on Saturdays, so — as with the Apple TV+ MLB deal — there are many other options for fans who like a certain team. Yes, the Pac-12 will get a deal, but I don’t see a great one out there. At least not at the moment. … MLB Network will have a new look this season as Stephen Nelson, Scott Braun and Fran Charles will not return. Nelson left to be a Dodgers play-by-player. The specifics of Braun’s and Charles’ next moves are not known yet. … Brandon Gaudin feels like a strong choice by the Braves as Chip Caray’s replacement.  … Correction: We always want to give you the right info. The most watched Super Bowl of all time was NBC’s Patriots-Seahawks in the 2015 Super Bowl with nearly 115 million. In the email version of the newsletter, I had that game as Patriots-Panthers.

Unreleased Apple TV+ schedule

(Fridays, all times ET)

April 7: Rangers at Cubs, 2:20 p.m.
April 7: Padres at Braves, 7:20 p.m.

April 14: Giants at Tigers, 6:40 p.m.
April 14: Angels at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m.

April 21: Blue Jays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m.
April 21: Astros at Braves, 7:20 p.m.

April 28: Phillies at Astros, 8:10 p.m.
April 28: Cardinals at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

May 5: White Sox at Reds, 6:40 p.m.
May 5: Twins at Guardians, 7:10 p.m.

May 12: Royals at Brewers, 8:10 p.m.
May 12: Cubs at Twins, 8:10 p.m.

May 19: Orioles at Blue Jays 7:07 p.m.
May 19: Mariners at Braves, 7:20 p.m.

May 26: Padres at Yankees, 7:05 p.m.
May 26: White Sox at Tigers, 7:10 p.m.

June 2: Brewers at Reds, 5:10 p.m.
June 2: Guardians at Twins, 8:10 p.m.

June 9: Royals at Orioles, 7:05 p.m.
June 9: Mariners at Angels, 9:38 p.m.

June 16: Pirates at Brewers, 8:10 p.m.
June 16: White Sox at Mariners, 10:10 p.m.

June 23: Pirates at Marlins, 6:40 p.m.
June 23: Mets at Phillies, 7:05 p.m.

June 30: Brewers at Pirates, 7:05 p.m.
June 30: Diamondbacks at Angels, 9:38 p.m.

July 7: There are no games currently listed for the Friday prior to the All-Star Game.

*July 14, Dodgers at Mets, 7:10 p.m.

*At the moment, there is only one game listed for July 14.