ESPN announced on Wednesday it has hired former major leaguer Raul Ibanez to replace Curt Schilling. The two asides agreed to a multi-year deal. Ibanez is expected to provide commentary on Baseball Tonight as well as select broadcast games.
Schilling was fired by ESPN last week, the culmination of a handful of social media snafus, the latest of which involved sharing an anti-transgender meme on Facebook. His other transgressions included suggesting that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “should be buried under a jail somewhere,” comparing Muslims to Nazis, and arguing with Keith Law over evolution. Law, not Schilling, was punished in that particular case.
Ibanez, who turns 44 in June, is a veteran of 19 seasons and last played in 2014 with the Royals. He was mentioned various times in the last two years as a potential candidate to coach or manage and ended up being hired as a special assistant to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman in February.
Ibanez will debut on ESPN at 8 PM EST tonight during the Rangers/Yankees game.
