MLB proposes 154-game season and longer Division Series

Major League Baseball has proposed reducing the regular season from 162 games to 154 and expanding the Division Series from best-of-five to best-of-seven, with both changes beginning in 2029. A separate proposal would let top playoff seeds choose opponents starting in 2027.

The provisions are part of MLB’s collective-bargaining proposal to the MLB Players Association, not adopted rules. The plan would not change the current schedule unless the parties reach an agreement. CBS Sports reported that the schedule and postseason changes are contingent on the union accepting MLB’s proposed salary-cap-and-floor system; that condition is part of the broader bargaining package, not an agreed term.

Fewer games, a different weekly rhythm

Under the proposed season, each team would play eight fewer regular-season games than under the current 162-game schedule. MLB’s plan pairs the shorter season with a scheduled Monday off day in most weeks, making the calendar’s weekly pattern part of the proposed change as well as its total game count.

The Monday break would have exceptions for holidays and special events. MLB also allows for one or two nationally televised Monday games. A team that plays on Monday under that arrangement would instead have Thursday off, shifting the rest day rather than removing it.

Each team would also play four split doubleheaders during the regular season, one against each divisional opponent. Those games, the Monday schedule and the shorter season are all proposed elements; the fact sheet does not establish that clubs or players have accepted them.

MLB says the weekly rest day is intended to address player health and roster churn, and cites broadcast opportunities as another rationale for its plan. Those are the league’s reasons for proposing the schedule, not established results. The proposal sets out a different cadence of games and rest days, but its effects would depend on whether it is adopted and how it is implemented.

Opponent choices would change before the series length

The proposed playoff changes have two start dates. Beginning in 2027, the No. 3 seed in each league would choose whether to play the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Wild Card Series. The No. 1 seed would select its Division Series opponent from the teams that advance from the Wild Card round.

The Wild Card Series would remain best-of-three. The later change, proposed for 2029, would expand the Division Series from best-of-five to best-of-seven. A best-of-seven series can require up to seven games rather than five, so the format could add as many as eight games across the two leagues’ Division Series if all four matchups went the distance. That is a maximum possibility, not a guaranteed number of extra games.

MLB’s proposed compensation terms address the shorter regular season: salaries would not be reduced because of the eight-game cut, while bonus, option and similar thresholds would be adjusted proportionally. Those terms remain part of the proposal and are not an agreed compensation arrangement.

The plan therefore combines schedule, postseason and compensation provisions with different proposed start dates. Until an agreement is reached, the 162-game regular season and current postseason formats remain in place.