Major League Baseball has proposed cutting the regular season from 162 games to 154. The league is tying that change to talks over the next collective bargaining agreement, where the central dispute is the introduction of a salary cap for players. Under the proposal, the shorter schedule would start in 2029.
MLB’s current CBA expires on Dec. 1, after this season’s World Series. MLB is the only major U.S. sports league without a salary cap, and the league has failed in past negotiations to win union support for one.
League spokesman Glen Caplin said removing eight games would benefit player health while also creating a new national broadcast window to highlight the sport’s most compelling teams and stars. MLB also argues that a shorter regular season would improve the October postseason, with fewer weekday afternoon games, a longer Division Series and more opportunities for top pitchers to appear on the biggest stage.
As part of the package, MLB wants to make Monday an exclusive national broadcast window for one or two games. The league says that would increase baseball’s national exposure and could create a rights package attractive to a streaming service looking to boost subscriptions and advertising revenue. Teams not selected for the Monday game or games would have the day off, while teams that play Monday would be off on Thursday.
MLB also wants to expand the divisional round from five games to seven and allow higher-seeded clubs in both the wild card round and divisional round to choose their lower-seeded opponent. The Major League Baseball Players Association said the league had again made its proposals contingent on players accepting a salary cap, which the union says would damage player rights and compensation. Still, the MLBPA said players would review the proposals and respond at the bargaining table.
