Report: Smoltz to take over as lead FOX analyst; Verducci, Reynolds out

John Smoltz, the Atlanta Braves icon and recent Cooperstown inductee, will reportedly take over as the lead baseball analyst in the FOX broadcast booth this season, replacing the color-commentary tandem of Tom Verducci and Harold Reynolds, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.

Verducci and Reynolds, both of whom were hired ahead of the 2014 campaign following Tim McCarver's departure, won't accompany veteran play-by-play man Joe Buck in the booth anymore, but will likely have roles in the network's coverage plan moving forward, possibly in the studio or doing other reporting.

Smoltz, an eight-time All-Star who spent two decades with the Braves, first forayed into broadcasting in 2008 when he was still an active player, and has spent the last half-decade in the booth for various networks, including FOX, TBS, and MLB Network.

Pursuant to the league's most recent media rights agreement, all World Series games through 2021 will be broadcast exclusively on FOX.