Major League Baseball proposes shortening its regular season as it pushes for a salary cap

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning during the MLB Tokyo Series game between Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome on March 19, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.Kenta Harada | Getty ImagesMajor League Baseball proposed shortening its regular season to 154 games from 162 as it attempts to convince players to approve a salary cap in the league's next collective bargaining agreement. The new shortened schedule would begin in 2029.MLB's CBA expires Dec. 1, after the conclusion of this season's World Series. The most contentious issue is the introduction of a salary cap on players. MLB is the only major American sports league without a cap. The league has failed to convince the players' union to adopt one in several previous CBA negotiations.A 154-game season was used between 1904 and 1960, except for 1918 and 1919 when the schedule was abbreviated because of World War I. For the past 66 years, 162 regular season games has been the standard, though some seasons have been shortened. Lopping off eight games "is good for player health, while also creating a new national broadcast window to showcase our most exciting teams and pl...