MLB Proposes 154-Game Season, Best-of-Seven Division Series Starting 2029
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In brief
Major League Baseball has proposed cutting the regular season from 162 to 154 games and expanding the Division Series from best-of-five to best-of-seven, both starting in 2029. The plan, raised during collective bargaining talks, also adds a weekly off-day and lets higher seeds pick postseason opponents, but MLB has tied the whole package to players accepting a salary cap, which the MLBPA opposes.
Major League Baseball has put forward a proposal to shorten the regular season from 162 games to 154 and to expand the Division Series round of the playoffs from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format, with both changes targeted to begin in the 2029 season, according to MLB.com and ESPN.
The proposal surfaced during ongoing collective bargaining talks between MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA). The current collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, according to CBS Sports and TSN, and CBS Sports reported that a lockout by owners is considered a near certainty if a new deal is not reached by that date.
What MLB Is Proposing
Under the plan, each team would play eight fewer regular-season games, dropping to 154. In exchange, MLB wants to install a standard weekly off-day, modeled on a format similar to Japan's NPB, where teams are generally off on Mondays, according to CBS Sports. Teams scheduled to play on a Monday would instead get a Thursday off that week. MLB.com reported the plan also includes four split doubleheaders per season against division rivals.
MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said the changes would provide "a weekly off-day, which is good for player health, while also creating a new national broadcast window to showcase our most exciting teams and players," according to MLB.com and TSN. Caplin also said the postseason changes would allow for "fewer weekday afternoon games" in October, TSN reported.
Playoff Format Changes
The Division Series would expand from best-of-five to best-of-seven starting in 2029, while the Wild Card round would stay at best-of-three, according to ESPN and MLB.com. MLB also proposed additional off-days throughout the postseason, which the league says is intended to boost television ratings and allow top starting pitchers to appear more often.
A separate change to how opponents are selected would start earlier, in 2027: the No. 3 seed would be able to choose whether to face the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Wild Card round, and the No. 1 seed would get to pick which Wild Card Series winner it faces in the Division Series, per ESPN, MLB.com and CBS Sports.
Current format vs. MLB's 2029 proposal
Element
Through 2028
Proposed from 2029
Regular-season games
162
154
Weekly off-day
None guaranteed
Standard day, generally Monday
Division Series format
Best-of-five
Best-of-seven
Wild Card Series format
Best-of-three
Best-of-three (unchanged)
Opponent selection by top seeds
Not permitted
Starting 2027, before other changes
Salary Cap Is the Sticking Point
MLB.com and ESPN both reported that the league says player salaries would not be reduced under the new schedule, with bonus thresholds adjusted proportionally for the shorter season. But the MLBPA said the league made clear that all of its scheduling and playoff proposals are contingent on players agreeing to a salary cap.
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.
— MLBPA statement, cited by CBS Sports
The MLBPA has said it will review the schedule and playoff proposals and respond at the bargaining table, according to ESPN and CBS Sports. No counterproposal from the union had been made public as of this report.
Background: MLB Has Played 154 Games Before
A 154-game regular season is not new to MLB. The league played a 154-game schedule from 1904 through 1960 before expanding to 162 games in 1961 for the American League and 1962 for the National League, according to TSN.
MLB.com reported that from 2022 to 2025, teams averaged 24% fewer optional assignments per week during weeks with a scheduled off-day (1.45) compared with weeks without one (1.90), a figure the league cites as evidence of player-health benefits.
What Happens Next
The proposals are not final. They are part of active negotiations ahead of the December 1 CBA deadline, and any changes to the regular-season length, playoff format or opponent-selection rules would require agreement between MLB and the MLBPA. The league has tied the schedule and playoff changes to the broader salary-cap debate, which remains unresolved.
Questions
When would the 154-game season and best-of-seven Division Series start?
MLB has proposed starting both changes in the 2029 season, according to MLB.com and ESPN.
Has the MLBPA agreed to the proposal?
No. The union said it is reviewing the plan but noted MLB tied all of its scheduling and playoff proposals to players accepting a salary cap, which the MLBPA opposes, according to CBS Sports.
Would players' salaries be cut under the shorter season?
MLB says yearly salaries would not be reduced for the shorter 154-game schedule, with bonus thresholds adjusted proportionally, according to MLB.com.
Has MLB played a 154-game season before?
Yes. MLB used a 154-game schedule from 1904 to 1960 before moving to 162 games in 1961–62, according to TSN.
What playoff changes would start before 2029?
Starting in 2027, higher seeds could choose their opponents: the No. 3 seed picks between the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Wild Card round, and the No. 1 seed picks its Division Series opponent, according to ESPN, MLB.com and CBS Sports.
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