MLB proposes shortening regular season to 154 games in 2029, expanding Division Series to best-of-7

NEW YORK— Major League Baseball proposed to shorten the regular season to 154 games from 162 starting in 2029 and to expand the Division Series to best-of-seven in a plan given to players during collective bargaining Thursday. Owners also proposed adding nine additional days off to the current postseason format, extending it to a maximum 42 days in a move that would give top starting pitchers potential to appear more often. MLB would allow higher-seeded teams in the first two rounds of the postseason to pick their opponents beginning next year and would make most regular-season Mondays a day off for the vast majority of teams starting in 2029 except for those in up to two nationally broadcast games. Cutting regular-season games would reduce the opportunity for players to set season and career records. "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 spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement. The players' association said it will review the plan and will respond at the bargaining table. Baseball's five-year labor contract expires Dec. 1, and management is expected to...