MLB proposes shorter regular season, best-of-7 division series - ESPN

Major League Baseball has proposed shortening its regular season to 154 games starting in 2029 and expanding the division series to a best-of-seven format.

The proposals came Thursday as part of negotiations with the MLB Players Association over a new collective bargaining agreement.

MLB also wants to allow higher-seeded teams to choose their opponents both in the wild-card and division series rounds of the playoffs. The 154-game schedule would be a return to MLB's calendar prior to 1960, when it was expanded to the current 162-game regular season.

«Returning to a 154-game schedule would allow us to introduce 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,» MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin said in a statement.

The MLBPA said in a statement that it is reviewing the proposals, adding that any changes also are «contingent on players' agreement to a salary cap,» which the union has balked at.

Under the proposal, Monday would be a standard off day for most teams, with the exception of potentially televising one or two national broadcasts. Holidays and other special events would negate the full league off day. Teams that play Monday would be off Thursday.

MLB is not suggesting a reduction in yearly salaries along with the reduction in games, though bonuses and «similar provisions» would be adjusted proportionally.

In what would be a first-of-its-kind in professional sports, the No. 3 seed in each league would be able to select whether to play the No. 5 or 6 seed in the wild-card round, with the selection coming immediately after the conclusion of the regular season.

The wild-card round would remain a best-of-three series. In the