Marlins TV announcer Paul Severino not returning in 2025

[Ely Sussman]

Severino's tenure as the Marlins' play-by-play voice ends after seven seasons.

Paul Severino, who had served as the Miami Marlins' television play-by-play announcer since 2018, was let go on Friday.

It was known that Severino's contract was expiring—in September, it was reported that he had been a candidate for the New York Yankees radio play-by-play gig. Even so, FanDuel Sports Network Florida previously told the 41-year-old that he would be retained next season, according to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. He was in attendance for the Clayton McCullough introductory press conference on Monday. "But the Marlins and FanDuel recently discussed the matter and decided to hire someone new."

Severino was working for MLB Network when the Marlins previously had a play-by-play vacancy. Coincidentally, his exit comes exactly seven years after Rich Waltz was axed.

Todd Hollandsworth was initially Severino's full-time partner in the broadcast booth. Since 2022, the Marlins have utilized a rotation of several color commentators. By my count, Severino was on the call for 160 of 162 Marlins games during the 2024 season (the only exceptions being May 31 and June 8). He was paired with analysts Tommy Hutton, Rod Allen, Jeff Nelson and Gaby Sanchez. 

Throughout Severino's tenure, Craig Minervini served as the backup play-by-play person.

Severino posted a lengthy goodbye letter on his social media accounts, thanking his former broadcast production teammates, Marlins fans and his family:

When Severino first got the job, the Marlins' regional sports network partner was known as FOX Sports Florida. It rebranded to Bally Sports Florida in 2021 and rebranded again earlier this month to FanDuel Sports Network Florida. Severino had already updated his account with the FanDuel name prior to receiving this news.

Assuming a Rich Waltz reunion isn't in play, who do you want to see fill Severino's shoes?

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[rurrusuno]

This is somewhat surprising. Severino did a great job, but I did prefer Rich Waltz. His play-by-play commentary was more exciting during big time plays. My first choice for his successor would be Steve Goldstein (Panthers/Dolphins and now FIU football commentator) but he's busy with those sports so I really doubt he'd do the Marlins too. 

I'm not really too familiar with the common names that currently do play-by-play or are analysts, but it'd be cool to have a former Marlin doing the job. I know Mike Lowell, Al Leiter, Cliff Floyd, Kevin Millar, and Ryan Dempster work with MLB Network, and Dontrelle Willis does broadcast for the Dodgers and is an analyst for Fox Sports 1. Perhaps Jeff Conine can come back?

Maybe it's just wishful thinking and an outsider comes in for the job. 

[Chad Turner]

Well obviously I love Rich Waltz.  But my second choice would be Kevin Barral.  

[Slacker Mills]

I'd give Kelly Sako a shot at the play by play. I'd pair her with Rod Allen.

 

[Stanley J Makowski]

I'm not disappointed. Yes, he read all of the commercials well which seemed to be his primary job. Hecould often go off topic and be carrying on about something when there was meaningful action on the field. 

I have no idea if he has any responsibility for the preponderance of those inane player interviews during play. They almost never have any meaningful content and are a distraction in my opinion.

Is Rich Waltz available? I'd rather have him then any mid-level free agent. 

Off topic, but look at DNC's record with Pittsburgh and compare that with the type of player this team could get with our esteemed owner's plentiful spending history. And he was moved for good reason.

I expressed my opinion recently in the comments section about how the team will fare in Home Depot Park if you want to see the ravings of an angry old man.

[One Regend]

I wasn't a big fan of Paul Severino in the first place. To me, he and Todd Hollandsworth seemed like "placeholders" for sorts. The type of people you put in the booth for one single season to assess better options over the course of the year. Except, Severino stayed in the booth for 6 years too long. And while some have warmed up to him over the years, I quite frankly haven't.

I know Rich Waltz is an easy answer here for who I want to take Severino's place, but if we can't have him, then we should look elsewhere. Is Dontrelle Willis still on contract with the Dodgers? He would fit Miami perfectly.

[Will]

It’s hard to step into the shoes of long time fan favorites like Rich and Tommy, while also being held back by someone as insufferable on the mic as Holly. Paul had a real uphill battle and I think by the end he was pretty decent. His finest moments were when he could get his little jokes and jabs in with the other members of the crew. Who could forget the Rocky Mountain oysters? 😂

If Kyle Sielaff isn’t opposed to making the jump to TV, he seems like the natural one to step in. 

[Hans Herrera]

Not a big fan of Severino either, almost never knew when the ball was a home run or just another flyball.

I'm down for some names floated here: back to Waltz, Sielaff is amazing, Sacco deserves a shot, and I would also consider Scott Kornberg from Jacksonville, he's great.

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

This seems unnecessary, to be honest, but we'll carry on.