The Toronto Blue Jays’ broadcast crew remains in the upper tier of MLB booths, even with a slight slide in the latest local TV rankings.
Dan Shulman, Joe Siddall and Hazel Mae landed eighth in Awful Announcing’s 2026 MLB broadcaster poll, keeping Sportsnet’s Blue Jays team inside the top 10 for the fourth straight year. More than 85,000 votes were cast as readers graded all 30 local television crews from A to F.
That eighth-place finish puts Toronto just ahead of the American League East broadcasts in Baltimore at 10th and Boston at 11th. It also marks a drop from last season, when the Blue Jays were ranked fourth.
Awful Announcing pointed to the retirement of Buck Martinez after the 2025 season as a major reason for the fall. The outlet still had plenty of praise for the group, writing, "Despite the loss of the great Buck Martinez, Shulman is still great, and it's a reliable broadcast," the ranking reads.
Shulman drew the strongest reaction from voters, with one calling his work "an absolute masterclass" and others praising the way he speaks to viewers like "intelligent adults."
Siddall, stepping into the full-time role left by Martinez, got mixed reviews. Some voters said he is "still finding his footing," though others appreciated the analytical edge he brings to the booth.
At the top of the list, the San Diego Padres were voted MLB’s best broadcast team for the second year in a row. Don Orsillo and Mark Grant were praised for staying sharp and entertaining no matter the game state, and Orsillo thanked voters on social media while saying the crew was humbled to repeat as winners.
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