MLB has recently put forward a comprehensive proposal to the MLB Players Association that suggests significant changes to the structure of the regular season and postseason. The league aims to reduce the regular season from the current 162 games to 154 games, a format last used from 1904 to 1960. This adjustment includes scheduling one off-day per week on Mondays, except on holidays, with the option of compensatory days off following Monday games. Additionally, teams would play four split doubleheaders, one against each division rival. These changes are designed to improve player health, create new national broadcast windows, and move weekday daytime games to evening slots for better fan engagement.

Alongside the shorter schedule, MLB proposes expanding the League Division Series (LDS) from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format, adding more excitement and strategic elements to the postseason. Uniquely, the top seeds in both the Wild Card and Division Series rounds would gain the ability to select their opponents, a move intended to intensify rivalries and generate compelling storylines. The league expects these playoff modifications to foster greater national interest and viewership, particularly by staggering postseason games to allow for more evening starts instead of daytime matchups.

However, there is a critical condition tied to all these proposed changes: implementation depends on introducing a salary cap system. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners are pushing for a salary cap as part of the next collective bargaining agreement, but the players’ union is strongly opposed. The MLB Players Association has publicly criticized the league’s approach, emphasizing that any agreement hinging on establishing a salary cap would undermine player rights and compensation. So far, none of the proposed schedule or playoff format changes are being considered independently of this major financial restructuring.

The league plans for these changes to take effect in the 2029 season to align with expected new national media rights deals. According to MLB, the 154-game schedule would end roughly a week earlier than the current calendar, with the World Series potentially extending just two days later than usual if it goes the full seven games. Despite the schedule and playoff format shifts being relatively modest adjustments in terms of calendar impact, the looming salary cap debate remains a significant obstacle. The ongoing labor negotiations will determine whether these alterations come to fruition as part of baseball’s next labor deal.