It's official, Jeff Brantley will be the third man in the booth next season:
Brantley, 44, is expected to join Marty Brennaman and Thom Brennaman as part of the primary radio team. Thom is expected to work 45 games on the radio and 45 games on TV. Marty's longtime partner, Joe Nuxhall, will work six to 12 games. That will leave the bulk of the schedule to Marty Brennaman and Brantley.Brantley could not be reached for comment. But two sources said the Reds and Brantley have agreed to a deal.
Joe Oliver was apparently one of the other candidates, which is interesting since I hadn't heard his name mentioned at any point in the process.
I honestly don't have much of an opinion on Brantley because I try to avoid ESPN as much as possible, but I'm guessing he'll get a warmer welcome in Cincinnati than the one Steve Stewart received. This is actually a bigger deal than the Thom Brennaman signing, because it's going to be Marty and Jeff the majority of the season, with Thom only doing 45 games on the radio (and 45 on TV).