Report: ESPN to hire Jeff Passan as top baseball insider

ESPN is set to hire current Yahoo Sports baseball reporter Jeff Passan, sources told Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

The 38-year-old reporter is expected to start after the new year and will continue to write for Yahoo Sports in the interim, Marchand added.

While Passan isn't expected to be on game broadcasts right away, he'll be asked to appear on television often.

Passan is widely regarded as one of the top news breakers and insiders of Major League Baseball, along with The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Fancred's Jon Heyman, and the Post's Joel Sherman.

The addition by ESPN follows the announced departure of long-time writer Jerry Crasnick, who posted on social media last week that he'd be leaving the network.

ESPN already employs other top news breakers such as Adam Schefter for the NFL and Adrian Wojnarowski for the NBA.