John Jastremski leaves WFAN to work on Bill Simmons and The Ringer, according to The Post.
Jastremski, 33, has been a quirky rising star in the FAN during his decade at the station. He made headlines late last year when he told management he didn’t think it would be a good fit with Maggie Gray for the lunch show.
He chose to stay doing his show “JJ After Dark” which moved to a better place from night to night.
With Jastremski having a significant time on his radio contract, FAN could have prevented him from the opportunity, but he chose to let him go, sources said.
In mid-December, Simmons, founder of The Ringer, contacted Jastremski, according to sources. The talks resulted in an agreement that will make Jastremski do three to four podcasts a week on Spotify, the home of The Ringer. It is a two-year contract with a mutual option for a third party, according to sources.
Simmons sold The Ringer for about $ 200 million, but is still in charge.
Jastremski will do a podcast on New York sports and the rest will focus on betting, like much of JJ’s FAN program.
Jastremski is scheduled to leave the FAN in early April and start The Ringer shortly thereafter. He will still be allowed to make his spot appearances on SNY and Golf Channel.
Although Simmons and Mike Francesa have been in a relationship for years, Francesa was not involved in the move, sources said.
French used to promote Jastremeski’s potential. Jastremski was part of an application that French had for a year.
Jastremski’s frantic sound of Staten Island has been compared to former French partner Chris Russo. However, Jastremski has not yet been able to get to the most desired part of the day.
FAN will take his time on how to exactly replace Jastremski. With the Yankees season starting soon, he won’t be in a hurry and will probably just get Steve Somers up in the rotation. According to sources, he plans to make a new hire.