Depending on Labor Talks, MLB Set for Earliest Opening Day in 2027

MLB’s 2027 schedule is out. Now it’s just a question of whether the entire slate, or any of it, will still be played. 

Just hours after the NHL released its schedule for its upcoming season, MLB did the same thing. And like in hockey, the next baseball season will have its earliest traditional Opening Day ever. The 2027 MLB season is set to start on Wednesday, March 24, with a single matchup to be aired on Netflix involving two teams to be determined, followed by 14 more games the following day involving every other club. 

Before 2027, MLB’s earliest traditional Opening Day had been March 26, and the Netflix opener follows the plan used this year.

Similar to recent years, the somewhat elongated nature of the upcoming schedule is designed to provide additional rest days for players within the six-month grind of the regular season. Additionally, the format helps allow a completion of the World Series before the end of October. 

Labor Looms

Any consideration of next year’s MLB schedule, however, must also account for the fractious state of the current labor negotiations between the league and MLB Players Association, and the possibility of that spilling over well into next year.

The current collective bargaining agreement between the two sides expires Dec. 1. But management and labor aren’t just far apart on the specific proposals of ongoing labor talks. They also don’t have remotely the same view on the state of the game.

A somewhat similar situation occurred in 2022, when labor negotiations extended into March of that year, ultimately delaying the start of the season. With some creative scheduling maneuvers, the full 162-game slate was still played that year. 

MLB owners, however, were not seeking a salary cap in those prior negotiations, and fervently are now—so much so that it has initiated a “Level the Field” public awareness campaign around that goal. Management is expected to impose a lockout when the current deal expires, and given the massive ideological gulf that now exists, many within baseball are bracing for that anticipated work stoppage to be an extended one. 

Special Events

Despite the uncertainty around next year’s schedule, MLB is still planning a series of events throughout the year. Among them:

• The July 13 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs’ home ballpark has not had the Midsummer Classic since 1990, but will become just the third ballpark to have the event a fourth time. The Home Run Derby will precede that on July 12, again aired on Netflix after this year’s debut effort. 
• The A’s will again play back-to-back series next year at Las Vegas Ballpark, the current home of its top minor league affiliate, in advance of a new major league ballpark opening in 2028 along the Las Vegas Strip. 
• Full slates of games on major holidays such as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day.
• A continuation of MLB’s Rivalry Weekend featuring series with prime interleague rivals and other top regional matchups. That weekend will open the second half of the season following the All-Star Game.

There are no international games currently scheduled for next year, as those must be collectively bargained between the league and union and would be part of any forthcoming labor deal. 

The release of next year’s schedule also happened much earlier than last year’s unveiling, when the 2026 schedule didn’t arrive until late August.