Sportsnet's Ben Wagner out as voice of Blue Jays radio broadcasts

Ben Wagner is out as the voice of Toronto Blue Jays radio broadcasts, Sportsnet announced on Wednesday.

The move comes in the wake of Rogers scaling back its radio broadcasts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sportsnet was one of a select few teams last season to not send radio personnel to road games, while Rogers Communications, which owns Sportsnet and the Blue Jays, opted not to offer radio-specific broadcasts for the bulk of the 2021 season.

"After six seasons as the voice of our baseball radio broadcasts, Sportsnet has decided not to renew Ben Wagner's contract for next season," the statement reads. "Thank you, Ben, for sharing your voice and expertise with listeners across Canada. We wish you the very best."

Wagner follows a long line of prominent Blue Jays radio voices to leave the post in recent years. Back in 2020, Sportsnet cut ties with Mike Wilner, while broadcast staple Jerry Howarth, who Wagner replaced, retired in 2018.

Sportsnet's decision against renewing Wagner's contract was met with criticism from experts and fans alike, who had grown to enjoy Wagner's work despite suboptimal conditions for much of his tenure.

"Sometimes organizations let people go before they leave on their own. I suspect that could be the case with the super-talented, highly coveted, under-utilized Ben Wagner," Toronto sports media reporter and analyst Jonah Sigel, better known by his handle @yyzsportsmedia, said in response to the news. "Jays fans are the losers here. Good luck Ben."

It's unclear at this point who will replace Wagner in the booth for the Blue Jays, or if radio-specific broadcasts will continue at all. One candidate, it would appear, is Ben Shulman, son of Blue Jays television voice Dan Shulman. The younger Shulman began calling games part-time for Sportsnet in 2022 and has served as a pinch-hitter of sorts when Wagner was unavailable.