As the 2027 MLB season remains in limbo due to the ongoing collective bargaining agreement, an issue two years from now is also at the forefront.
According to ESPN, owners have supported the idea of MLB players participating in the Olympics for the first time, but not without plenty of wrinkles.
While the owners are already set to shut down the season for nearly two weeks, there are disagreements over logistics, including hotels, tickets and a mandatory-participation agreement, the outlet said.
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The latter proposal, ESPN said, aims to force some of the game’s biggest stars to play in the Olympics, and if someone declined, they could be placed on the restricted list for nearly a month and not get paid.
The MLB Players Association, according to the report, strongly opposes the idea, saying that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred would be able to discipline players “for just cause.”
Ian Penny, a special advisor at the MLBPA, said in an email last month that the organization is “seeking fair treatment for its members in consideration for the substantial financial value they would bring to LA28.”
“Ideally, that consideration would closely align with the value created and include direct compensation. However, what these proposals are largely designed to accomplish is to prevent our members from losing money by participating, whether due to expenses incurred or commercial rights lost, both individually and collectively. Given the significant financial benefits flowing to non-athlete stakeholders in the Games, we view these proposals as particularly modest and imminently reasonable,” Penny added.
Many players, including Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Mike Trout, all of whom have represented the USA in the WBC, have expressed high interest in playing at the Olympics.
It also remains to be seen who would stay where if the deal goes through. The LA28 committee has also told players they could purchase two tickets per game in which they are participating but could “unlock” the potential to purchase more.
The LA28 committee has offered 435 hotel rooms, while Major League Baseball has already reserved 200 — 100 for its own players and another 100 for the Japanese national team, which is expected to qualify late next year. ESPN cited four players saying they would stay at the Olympic Village on UCLA’s campus, while the hotel rooms would be for their families.
The six-team Olympic baseball tournament will take place at Dodger Stadium. The United States has already qualified as the host nation, while the Dominican Republic and Venezuela qualified during the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.
The six teams will be divided into two groups, with the winner of each receiving a bye into the semifinals. The league would shut down for 11 days to accommodate the tournament as well as the preceding All-Star Game.
The United States has played in three consecutive WBC finals, winning in 2017 over Puerto Rico but losing in 2023 to Japan and this year to Venezuela.
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