MLB proposes cutting regular season to 154 games and expanding postseason
In short
Major League Baseball's league office proposed to the players' union, during collective bargaining talks, cutting the regular season from 162 to 154 games and expanding the postseason Division Series from best-of-five to best-of-seven. Reuters, as cited by OSEN, reported the shorter season would start in 2029. The union said it would respond at the bargaining table but said every proposal was tied to a salary cap, which it opposes.
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Major League Baseball's league office proposed to the players' union, during collective bargaining talks, reducing the regular season from the current 162 games to 154 games and expanding the postseason Division Series from best-of-five to best-of-seven, Yonhap and Newsis reported. Yonhap said the proposal was delivered on the 8th, local time. Reuters, as cited by OSEN in Chosun Ilbo, reported the shorter season would begin in 2029. The plan also includes letting higher-seeded teams choose their opponents; OSEN reported this would apply from 2027 in the Wild Card Series and Division Series. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The league office said a 154-game schedule would guarantee one rest day a week, helping players manage fitness and health, and that making Monday the rest day could create a new national broadcast time slot. It said player salaries would not be cut and that bonus and option thresholds would be adjusted to the shorter schedule. The league also plans to lengthen the overall postseason schedule by adding rest days, which the AP described as a way to let ace starting pitchers pitch in more games. [ 1 , 4 ]
The union said it would review the proposal and respond at the bargaining table. According to OSEN, the union's statement also said the league had made clear that all its proposals were premised on agreement to a salary cap, which the union said would seriously damage players' rights and pay, and that the package contained other anti-player proposals. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1. Owners are seeking a salary cap, which the union strongly opposes, along with limits on player contracts; Yonhap cited limits on contract size and length, while Newsis cited limits on free-agent contract length. OSEN reported the owners' proposed cap is $245.3 million, including player welfare costs. Yonhap said local media expect owners are likely to impose a lockout when the agreement expires, and outlets said a prolonged dispute could delay the start of the 2027 season or, at worst, cancel it. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Owners last sought a salary cap in 1994. Newsis reported that players went on strike for seven and a half months and the World Series was cancelled for the first time in 90 years. OSEN reported about 50 games were cancelled that season, the postseason was not held, and the luxury tax now in use was introduced instead of a cap. MLB played 154 games per team from 1904 until the American League moved to 162 games in 1961 and the National League in 1962. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The proposal comes as the current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1 and owners and players are at odds over a salary cap. Korean outlets reported that a lockout is considered likely and that the start of the 2027 season could be delayed or, at worst, the whole season cancelled.
Key facts
- The MLB league office proposed reducing the regular season from 162 games to 154 games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The proposal would expand the postseason Division Series from best-of-five to best-of-seven. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Reuters, as cited by OSEN, reported the 154-game season would begin in 2029. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The league office said a 154-game schedule would guarantee one rest day a week and that player salaries would not be cut. [ 1 , 4 ]
- The proposal includes letting higher-seeded teams choose their opponents. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The players' union said all of the league's proposals were premised on agreement to a salary cap. [ 2 ]
- The salary cap proposed by owners is $245.3 million, including player welfare costs, according to OSEN. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- MLB proposed cutting the regular season from 162 to 154 games and expanding the Division Series from best-of-five to best-of-seven. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The players' union said it would review the proposal and respond at the bargaining table. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The proposal includes letting higher-seeded teams choose their opponents. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, and owners are seeking a salary cap that the union opposes. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- MLB played a 154-game schedule from 1904; the American League moved to 162 games in 1961 and the National League in 1962. [ 1 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the 154-game season would start in 2029. The 2029 start is reported by Reuters via OSEN and appears in headlines, but the Yonhap and Newsis article texts do not state it.
- The details of the 1994 dispute differ between outlets. OSEN reported about 50 games were cancelled in 1994 and the postseason was not held; Newsis reported a strike lasting seven and a half months and the first World Series cancellation in 90 years.
- Whether a lockout will occur when the agreement expires. Outlets report a lockout is considered likely, citing local media expectations, but no decision is reported.
- When higher-seeded teams could start choosing opponents. Only OSEN reports this would apply from 2027 in the Wild Card Series and Division Series.