John Jastremski is leaving WFAN to work for Bill Simmons and The Ringer, The Post has learned.
Jastremski, 33, was a quirky rising star in the FAN in his decade on the station. He made headlines late last year when he told management he didn’t think he would be a good fit with Maggie Gray for the afternoon show.
He chose to keep doing his “JJ After Dark” program, which was moved to a better place from overnight stays to earlier in the evening.
Since Jastremski had a lot of time on his radio contract, FAN could have turned him off the opportunity, but chose to allow him, sources said.
In mid-December, Simmons, the founder of The Ringer, contacted Jastremski, according to sources. The talks led to a deal that will result in Jastremski doing three to four podcasts a week on Spotify, the home of The Ringer. It’s a two-year contract with a reciprocal option for a third, sources said.
Simmons reportedly sold The Ringer for about $ 200 million, but is still in charge.
Jastremski will do one podcast about sports in New York and the rest is focused on betting, like much of JJ’s FAN show.
It is planned that Jastremski will leave the FAN in early April and start at The Ringer shortly afterwards. He will still be allowed to make his spot on SNY and Golf Channel.
While Simmons and Mike Francesa have been in a relationship for years, Francesa was not involved in the move, sources said.
Francesa praised Jastremeski’s potential. Jastremski was part of an app Francesa had for a year.
Jastremski’s frenetic Staten Island sound has been compared to Francesa’s former partner, Chris Russo. Yet Jastremski has not yet managed to get to the more coveted part of the day.
FAN will now take the time to replace Jastremski precisely. With the season of the Yankees starting soon, there will be no rush and Steve Somers will likely just move up the rotation. According to sources, it plans to eventually make a new hiring.