MLB’s Next 5 Years: Realignment, Expansion, and 154 Games?
The latest schedule proposal adds to major changes on the way.
By 2031, Major League Baseball (MLB) is set to undergo significant changes, even if only a few proposed ideas come to fruition. The league's owners have suggested a 154-game regular season and expanded playoffs, among other sweeping alterations. Potential expansion could bring the league to 32 teams, with Salt Lake City and Nashville as top candidates, along with other interested markets.
Large-scale realignment may phase out the traditional American and National leagues to ease travel and create better broadcast schedules, especially in playoffs. A restructured, nationally oriented media rights portfolio is also in the works, set to take effect after MLB's current national agreements expire in 2028. Commissioner Rob Manfred aims to blend national and regional rights in unprecedented ways, potentially creating up to eight extra playoff games and achieving league-level control over local media rights by 2028.
New ballparks are expected in Las Vegas, Tampa, and Kansas City. A new commissioner will succeed Manfred in early 2029, though no final decision has been made. The current contract for Manfred expires early 2029, and he plans to retire. While some aspects, like the shortened regular season and new playoff format, are being proposed alongside a hard salary cap, strict reserve system, and retooled amateur entry process, these ideas face strong opposition from players and could be a non-starter.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
