MLB proposes 154-game regular season, bulked-up playoff schedule with a twist in latest labor talks

In its latest labor proposal to the MLB Players Association, Major League Baseball proposed reducing the regular season from 162 games to 154 games, with a standard off-day each week. The league also proposed extending the Division Series from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven, and allowing higher-seeded clubs in the Wild Card Series and Division Series to select their opponents.

The league announced the details of its latest proposal Thursday. As with every MLB proposal to date, this would all be contingent on the MLBPA accepting a salary cap/floor system.

Under the proposal, the 154-game seasons and best-of-seven LDS rounds would begin in 2029, and the higher seeds picking their opponents would begin in 2027.

"The league made multiple scheduling proposals today. We are reviewing these materials, including the proposed changes to the playoff format," the MLBPA said in a statement. "Players will weigh in on these proposals and we will respond at the bargaining table. Unfortunately, the league once again made clear that all of its proposals are contingent on players' agreement to a salary cap, a system that guts player rights and compensation, as well as its other anti-player proposals."

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There is historical precedent for a 154-game season. The American League played a 154-game schedule from 1920-61, and the National League from 1920-62. Both leagues then expanded to a 162-game season. The MLBPA has expressed an interest in returning to a 154-game schedule in recent years, citing injury and workload concerns.

The standard off-day each week could be similar to the schedule in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Monday is a universal off-day every week in NPB. Monday is also a universal off-day in the minor leagues in the U.S. Essentially, MLB is proposing trimming eight games off each team's regular-season schedule, and adding up to eight more postseason games total.

As for higher-seeding teams selecting their postseason opponents, that would begin in 2029. This is how it would work:

Wild Card Series: The No. 3 seed (division winner with the worst record) would select the No. 5 or 6 seed. The No. 4 seed (top wild card team) would then play the other team.

Division Series: The No. 1 seed (league's best record) would select which Wild Card Series winner they want to play. The No. 2 seed (division winner with the second-best record) would then play the other team.

MLB proposed a similar "pick your opponent" postseason system in the previous round of labor negotiations. It's unclear if those decisions would be televised for fans, but they would create some level of drama and plenty of bulletin board material.

The current collective bargaining agreement will expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1, and it is a near certainty the owners will lock out the players at that time. The salary cap/floor is the single biggest issue. Everything else, including the schedule and the postseason format, is secondary. The MLBPA maintains it will not accept any kind of salary cap system.

Why MLB would make these proposals

Giving up four home regular season games figures to hurt each team's bottom line, though not necessarily. Undoubtedly, tickets for the remaining 77 home games would be priced in such a way to recoup lost revenue, plus the longer Division Series would boost national television revenue. That money is divided equally among the 30 teams, not just postseason participants. MLB's current national TV deal expires after the 2028 season.

Throughout the labor negotiation process, the underlying assumption should always be that MLB and the owners have gamed out the money, and they're certain they won't take a big hit, if they take a hit at all. The revenue lost by giving up four regular-season home games can be offset in other ways, most notably with richer national television contracts for the postseason.