Philadelphia Phillies fans were caught off guard by the announcement that Taryn Hatcher will not be part of the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast team for the 2026 season. The reason appears to be contractual: her deal with the network expired at the end of last year, and no new agreement was reached.
“The Philadelphia Business Journal’s Jeff Blumenthal reported Thursday that Hatcher’s deal with NBC Sports Philadelphia expired at the end of 2025 and that she would not be returning. Additionally, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Rob Tornoe reported that the network had eliminated her position altogether,” wrote Sam Neumann for Awful Announcing.
Neumann’s report confirmed prior rumors that negotiations for a new deal had stalled. Even more surprising, the network reportedly does not plan to replace her, meaning there will be no sideline reporter for Phillies broadcasts next MLB season.
Phillies fans lament Hatcher’s departure
Fan reaction to Hatcher’s exit from the NBCSP team was overwhelmingly negative. Many expressed frustration, with some arguing she outgrew the network and deserves a bigger role elsewhere.
Taryn Hatcher with the Phillies (@tarynnbcs)
“How could you not rehire Taryn Hatcher???” wrote John N (@sanelikeme) on X in response to a post from Franzke & LA (@franzkeLA) that read: “The Phillies TV folks somehow managed to find the only two good baseball sideline reporters and then got rid of them both.”
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Some may also recall that Hatcher previously served as a sideline reporter for the Philadelphia Flyers. She left that position in 2022, another move that disappointed Philadelphia hockey fans.
“Taryn Hatcher not returning to the Phillies broadcasts this year, this has been the worst offseason ever,” wrote Sean Redden on X. Another fan took a more balanced view: “we lost taryn hatcher but we still get part time cole hamels. we’ve won but at much too high of a cost,” wrote Sav (@pprivateidaho).
Could Hatcher return as a sideline reporter?
For now, there has been no official announcement, not even from Hatcher herself. However, Kevin Kinkead of Crossing Broad published a detailed report on what he has heard regarding the situation.
“I heard the story a bit differently, that there was chatter of Hatcher returning in some capacity, but with certain stipulations, for instance, freelance work that would have allowed her the flexibility to pursue some other things at the same time. There was no agreement on a return, though I wouldn’t say the door is closed entirely on her working with NBCSP again in some capacity.
Taryn Hatcher duing a press conference (@m_omalley on X)
Folks in the know said it was a typical contract expiration, and outside of two sources saying that decision makers were looking for more ‘investment’ from Hatcher in the Phillies role, I didn’t get the sense that there was any animosity or conflict behind the scenes,” Kinkead wrote.
