MLB eyes shorter regular season, expanding Division Series to best-of-7 — SkimNews
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- MLB proposed shortening its regular season from 162 to 154 games starting in 2029, reverting to the pre-1960 schedule to add a weekly Monday off day and create a new national broadcast window
- MLB also proposed expanding the Division Series to a best-of-seven format while keeping the wild-card round at best-of-three, with implementation timed to the sport's next national media deals
- Higher-seeded teams would gain a 'first-of-its-kind in professional sports' power to choose their opponents, with the No. 3 seed picking between the No. 5 or 6 seed in the wild-card round and the No. 1 seed choosing its division series foe after the wild-card round concludes
- Glen Caplin, MLB spokesperson, framed the changes as improving player health and making October 'even better,' while arguing opponent selection would 'intensify existing rivalries and create new ones' — a pitch made pointedly relevant by the current AL bracket that landed the Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox on the same side
- MLB is not proposing to reduce yearly salaries alongside the shorter schedule, though bonuses and 'similar provisions' would be adjusted proportionally to the eight fewer games
- The MLBPA said it is reviewing the proposals but stressed that all changes are 'contingent on players' agreement to a salary cap,' which it called a system that 'guts player rights and compensation' — leaving the entire package on hold until the larger economic standoff is resolved
Why it matters: Every proposal is a bargaining chip tied to a salary cap the union has flatly rejected, meaning fans and players won't see shorter schedules or longer division series until the broader CBA economics are settled. The opponent-selection pitch is openly designed to prevent a repeat of the current AL bracket where three 90-win teams cannibalized each other before the league championship.
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