Oct 8 (Reuters) – Major League Baseball has proposed shortening its regular season to 154 games from 162 games starting in 2029 along with expanding the Division Series of the playoffs to a best-of-seven contest in a bargaining session on Thursday with the union representing players.
According to MLB, shortening the regular season would create a standard weekly off day benefiting player health, and it would allow for a longer Division Series which is currently a best-of-five affair.
Under its proposal, the higher-seeded clubs in both the Wild Card and Division Series would select their opponents beginning in 2027.
The Major League Baseball Players Association said it is reviewing the proposed changes.
“Players will weigh in on these proposals and we will respond at the bargaining table,” MLBPA said in a statement.
“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.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
