SNY’s popular Mets announcing trio will live on.
In the days before pitchers and catchers officially report for spring training, Keith Hernandez agreed to a three-year contract to return to the booth, with the deal closing Thursday. Mike Puma of The Post reports this.
In October, Hernandez revealed to The Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman that he wanted a three-year contract with the network and that he wasn’t ready to give up his analyst gig.
“I’m not ready to retire yet,” Hernandez said at the time on “The Show” podcast. “If I go on for three more years, they’ve always been three-year deals, and then the three-year deal takes me to 75 years.
“I just turned 72 and I’m ready to do three more.”
Hernandez has been a key part of the SNY broadcast since the 2006 season, along with play-by-play man Gary Cohen and former Mets teammate Ron Darling, having previously worked Mets games at MSG.
He has won three Emmys (2009, 2012, 2015) for his work in the booth.
Despite being in negotiations with SNY this offseason, Hernandez was vocal about the Mets’ moves during free agency, saying he was “speechless” after Pete Alonso left the team for a deal with the Orioles.
“I’m a little speechless,” he said during an appearance on “SportsNite” in December. “This is very explosive. In my years with the Mets, I haven’t seen this kind of development happening in a new direction, I don’t think. It’s clear – it’s profound.”
Hernandez added that the Mets’ direction this offseason would revolve around pitching and defense, citing how the Amazin’s won the 1969 World Series using that blueprint.
“It’s going to be defense and also pitching,” he added. “I always look at the ’69 Mets when you have a team that won a world championship with great pitching and didn’t run great offense… absolutely not.”
The Amazin’s eventually added infielders Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco, outfielder Eloy Jimenez and pitchers Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in a major overhaul.
#Keith #Hernandez #finalizing #contract #continue #calling #Mets #games #SNY