MLB proposes reduced schedule, new playoff format

Major League Baseball is heading straight for a work stoppage. Of that we are all almost 100% certain, as the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires on December 1st and both MLB and the MLB Players Association seem far apart on their biggest demands.

Chief among those is the scuttlebutt surrounding a potential cap and floor on total payrolls, something championed by several owners who see spending money as the lone way to compete in this sport (while the low-budget Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Guardians all remain alive in the postseason).

A new wrinkle was leaked on Thursday however. As ESPN's Jeff Passan relayed , MLB proposed limiting the regular season to just 154 games (down from 162) as part of a structural overhaul of the regular and postseasons, with a caveat that Division Series would move to a best of seven format.

The other fun wrinkle here is that teams could then choose their opponents in the postseason, something that's been a topic of discussion just about every postseason as some Wild Card teams finish with records far greater than teams who won weak divisions (and therefore ended up with tougher overall paths to advancing).

Shaving off games during the regular season means shaving off money from gameday receipts, television contracts, and the like. It would also mean fewer overall game checks for players, so this would be something the MLBPA would likely be in opposition to unless there were significantly greater incentives for playing in the postseason. Such is life in a labor/owner negotiation, as there are billions of dollars riding on these seemingly small decisions.

I can only assume we'll get more interesting ideas leaked in this entire process. Keep in mind this is the same league with the same commissioner who gave us the Manfred Man, killed the shift, added pitch clocks and ABS, and slapped sponsor logos on helmets. Change does not seem to phase Rob Manfred, so change will 100% be on the table early and often within these negotiations all winter.