MLB proposes 154-game schedule and playoff shake-up
Major League Baseball has proposed cutting the regular season to 154 games, expanding the Division Series to best-of-seven, and letting higher-seeded playoff teams choose their opponents, in a new bargaining session with the MLBPA.
Major League Baseball has proposed a sweeping overhaul of the regular season and the playoffs in its latest bargaining session with the MLB Players Association. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the proposal on X on Thursday: MLB would cut the regular-season schedule from 162 games to 154, expand the Division Series from best-of-five to best-of-seven, and give higher-seeded playoff teams the right to choose their postseason opponents (ClutchPoints).
MLB also publicised the plan on its official @MLB X account. Under the proposal, the opponent-selection change would begin in 2027, while the 154-game schedule would start in 2029 (Larry Brown Sports).
League spokesman Glen Caplin told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale: “Returning to a 154-game schedule would allow us to introduce a weekly off day, which is good for player health, while also creating a new national broadcast window to showcase our most exciting teams and players.”
The proposals land amid negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement, with the threat of a lockout hinging chiefly on the salary-cap discussion. The changes remain proposals for now — it is unclear whether any will gain traction with the union.
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