2026 Major League Baseball season
| 2026 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | March 25 – September 27, 2026 |
| Games | 162 |
| Teams | 30 |
| TV partner(s) | Fox/FS1 TBS MLB Network |
| Streaming partner(s) | HBO Max Apple TV+ Fox One |
| Draft | |
| Regular season | |
| Postseason | |
| World Series |
The 2026 Major League Baseball season is scheduled to begin on March 25 with a single night game featuring the San Francisco Giants hosting the New York Yankees before the regular season proper runs from March 26 to September 27. The postseason will begin on September 29. The World Series will begin on October 23 and will end with Game 7 if necessary on October 31. The 96th All-Star Game is scheduled for July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies.[1]
Schedule
[edit]Major League Baseball released its 2026 schedule on August 26, 2025. Each team will play 162 regular-season games. As has been the case since 2025, each team was scheduled to play 13 games against their division rivals, totaling 52 games. Each team would play six games against eight opponents and seven games against two opponents in the same league for a total of 62 games. Each team would also play 48 interleague games, including a six-game home-and-home series against their designated interleague rival. The regular season is scheduled to open on March 25, with a standalone night game featuring the San Francisco Giants hosting the New York Yankees. The slate of Opening Day games will then take place on March 26, the earliest that it has been scheduled in MLB history. This season's "Rivalry Weekend" is planned on May 15–17, again 11 series featuring prime "interleague" rivals and the matches reversed from the previous year.[1] The scheduled return of the London Series was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts at London Stadium and Fox's availability due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[2]
The 96th All-Star Game is scheduled for July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. The game will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.[1]
A Subway Series matchup between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees, will be played at Yankee Stadium on September 11–13 to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.[1][3] The two teams squared off at Citi Field for the 20th anniversary.[3]
Rule changes
[edit]On September 23, 2025, MLB's competition committee approved use of the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS), beginning with the 2026 season. Under the approved plan, batters, pitchers, and catchers are allowed to request challenges by tapping on their helmet or cap. Each team starts with two challenges, retains a challenge if it is successful, and receives additional challenges in extra innings.[4]
Managerial changes
[edit]General managers
[edit]Off-season
[edit]| Team | Former GM | Interim GM | Reason For Leaving | New GM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies | Bill Schmidt | N/A | Resigned | TBA | On October 1, 2025, Bill Schmidt resigned after five years as the team's head of baseball operations.[5] |
| Washington Nationals | Mike Rizzo | Mike DeBartolo | Fired | TBA | On July 6, 2025, Mike Rizzo was fired after 17 years as the team's president of baseball operations. The Nationals named assistant general manager Mike DeBartolo as the interim general manager.[6] |
Field managers
[edit]Off-season
[edit]| Team | Former Manager | Interim Manager | Reason For Leaving | New Manager | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | Brian Snitker | N/A | Retired | Walt Weiss | On October 1, 2025, after a 76–86 (.469) 2025 season, the Braves and Brian Snitker mutually agreed to end his managerial tenure with the organization. He will be taking a front office role to remain with the Braves in an advisory capacity. Snitker finished his Braves career with a 811–668 (.548) record and seven postseason appearances, which resulted in a World Series title in 2021. Snitker was named NL Manager of the Year in 2018, leading the Braves to their first NL East division title since 2013.[7]
Weiss, the current bench coach, was promoted as the new manager on November 3. He was previously the manager of the Colorado Rockies from 2013-16.[8] |
| Baltimore Orioles | Brandon Hyde | Tony Mansolino | Fired | Craig Albernaz | On May 17, 2025, after a 15–28 (.349) start to the season, the Orioles fired Brandon Hyde. Hyde finished his Orioles managerial career with a 421–492 (.461) record with two postseason appearances. Hyde was named AL Manager of the Year in 2023, leading the Orioles to a 100-win season (their first since the 1980 season) and their first AL East division title since 2014. Tony Mansolino was named the interim manager for the remainder of the season. This was Mansolino's first managerial position.[9]
Albernaz was hired as the new manager on October 27. This will be his first managerial position.[10] |
| Colorado Rockies | Bud Black | Warren Schaeffer | TBA | On May 11, 2025, after a 7–33 (.175) start to the season, the Rockies fired Bud Black. Black finished his Rockies managerial career with a 544–690 (.441) record with two postseason appearances. Warren Schaeffer was named the interim manager for the remainder of the season. This was Schaeffer's first managerial position.[11] | |
| Los Angeles Angels | Ron Washington | Ray Montgomery | Option not exercised | Kurt Suzuki | On September 30, 2025, after a short 36–38 (.486) 2025 season due to being placed on medical leave on June 27 and undergoing a quadruple bypass heart surgery, the Angels announced that Ron Washington would not return in 2026. Washington finished his Angels career with a 109–137 (.443) record and no postseason appearances.[12]
Suzuki was hired as the new manager on October 21. This will be his first managerial position.[13] He has previously served as special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian from 2023 to 2025 after finishing his playing career with the Angels from 2021 and 2022. |
| Minnesota Twins | Rocco Baldelli | N/A | Derek Shelton | On September 29, 2025, after a 70–92 (.432) 2025 season, the Twins announced that Rocco Baldelli would not return in 2026. Baldelli finished his Twins career with a 527–505 (.511) record and three postseason appearances.[14] He won the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2019.
Shelton was hired as the new manager on October 30. He was previously the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates for nearly six years from 2020–25.[15] | |
| San Diego Padres | Mike Shildt | Retired | Craig Stammen | On October 13, 2025, after a 90–72 (.556) 2025 season, Shildt announced his retirement, citing the severe toll of the job. Shildt finished his Padres career with a 183–141 (.565) record and two postseason appearances. Shildt was named NL Manager of the Year in 2019, while managing the St. Louis Cardinals.[16]
Stammen was hired as the new manager on November 6. He was previously in the Padres organization as an assistant to the major league coaching staff and baseball operations department from 2024 to 2025 after finishing his playing career with the Padres from 2017 to 2022.[17] | |
| San Francisco Giants | Bob Melvin | Fired | Tony Vitello | On September 29, 2025, after a 81–81 (.500) 2025 season, the Giants fired Bob Melvin. Melvin finished his Giants career with a 161–163 (.497) record and no postseason appearances.[18]
Vitello, the coach at Tennessee, was hired as the new manager on October 22. This will be his first managerial position. He is the first individual to transition directly from a college program to managing an MLB team without prior professional coaching experience.[19] | |
| Texas Rangers | Bruce Bochy | Contract expired | Skip Schumaker | On September 29, 2025, after a 81–81 (.500) 2025 season, the Rangers and Bruce Bochy mutually agreed to end his managerial tenure with the organization. He has been offered a front office role to remain with the Rangers in an advisory capacity. Bochy finished his Rangers career with a 249–237 (.512) record and one postseason appearance, which resulted in a World Series title in 2023.[20]
Schumaker was hired as the new manager on October 13.[21]. He previously served as the manager for the Miami Marlins from 2023–24 before leaving to become the special advisor to Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young in 2025. | |
| Washington Nationals | Dave Martinez | Miguel Cairo | Fired | Blake Butera | On July 6, 2025, after a 37–53 (.411) start to the season, the Nationals fired Dave Martinez. Martinez finished his Nationals career with a 500–622 (.446) record with one postseason appearance, which resulted in a World Series title in 2019.[6] Miguel Cairo was named interim manager on July 7. This was Cairo's second stint as manager after leading the Chicago White Sox in 2022 with a record of 18–16 (.529).[22]
On October 31, Blake Butera was hired as the new permanent manager of the team, making this his first managerial position.[23]. |
Venues
[edit]The Athletics will play their June 8–14 homestand at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin South, Nevada, the home of their Pacific Coast League affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, as a preview for their eventual relocation to Las Vegas.[1]
The Tampa Bay Rays are expected to return to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, which had been damaged by Hurricane Milton, forcing the team to play their 2025 home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.[24]
Uniforms
[edit]Wholesale changes
[edit]- The Athletics unveiled a new gold alternate uniform, featuring a "Sacramento" script across the chest. This jersey replaces the existing gold alternate jersey with the "A's" logo featured on the chest.[25]
Anniversaries and special events
[edit]| Team | Special occasion |
|---|---|
| All Teams | Jackie Robinson Day (April 15) |
| Pink Ribbons for breast cancer awareness (May 10, Mother's Day) | |
| Patch for Armed Forces Day (May 16) and Camouflage caps for Armed Force's Day Weekend (May 15–17) | |
| Poppy for Memorial Day (May 25) | |
| #4 patch for Lou Gehrig Day (June 1) | |
| "Play Ball" patch in partnership with USA Baseball and USA Softball (June 12–14) | |
| Blue Ribbons for prostate cancer (June 21, Father's Day) | |
| National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum logo patches (July 17–19) | |
| Gold Ribbons for childhood cancer (September 1) | |
| #21 patch for Roberto Clemente Day (September 15) | |
| "MLB Debut" patch for players who play their first Major League game | |
| Gold "batterman" patch for previous season's winners of the Most Valuable Player, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards | |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 25th Anniversary of 2001 World Series Championship |
| Atlanta Braves | 60th Anniversary Season |
| Baltimore Orioles | 60th Anniversary of 1966 World Series Championship |
| Chicago Cubs | 10th Anniversary of 2016 World Series Championship |
| Cincinnati Reds | 50th Anniversary of 1976 World Series Championship |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 45th Anniversary of 1981 World Series Championship |
| 2025 World Series championship (March 26) | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 25th Anniversary of American Family Field |
| Minnesota Twins | 35th Anniversary of 1991 World Series Championship |
| New York Mets | 40th Anniversary of 1986 World Series Championship |
| New York Yankees | 70th Anniversary of 1956 World Series Championship |
| 65th Anniversary of 1961 World Series Championship | |
| 30th Anniversary of 1996 World Series Championship | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 25th Anniversary of PNC Park |
| 55th Anniversary of 1971 World Series Championship | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 20th Anniversary of 2006 World Series Championship |
| 15th Anniversary of 2011 World Series Championship |
Media
[edit]Television
[edit]National
[edit]In February 2025, ESPN and MLB announced that both parties had exercised a mutual opt-out to end their media agreement following the previous 2025 season. ESPN's contract was originally going to expire after the 2028 season.[26] MLB has yet to finalize deals with any broadcasters that will take over ESPN's previous rights through 2028, including Sunday night games, the Home Run Derby, and the Wild Card Series.[27]
MLB is also considering changes to league owned MLB Network or MLB.tv.[27]
This will be the fifth year of the existing seven-year deals with Fox, TBS, and Apple TV+;[28] and the third and final year of the agreement with The Roku Channel:[29]
- Fox will continue to air Fox Saturday Baseball, Baseball Night in America, and the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. FS1 will also broadcast games, mainly on Saturday afternoons, which will be both non-exclusive and co-exist with regional broadcasts. Fox One will simulcast in-market and national Fox games along with all FS1 games. Fox and FS1 will have both the National League Division Series and Championship Series. Fox remains as the exclusive broadcaster of the World Series, which it has aired exclusively since 2000.[30]
- TBS will continue to broadcast MLB Tuesday. Most games are blacked out in the home markets of the teams playing; however, TBS is allowed to co-exist once with a team's local broadcast. HBO Max will continue to simulcast TBS' games on its ad-free tier. TBS, TNT, and TruTV will have both the American League Division and Championship Series.[31]
- Apple TV+ will continue to stream Friday Night Baseball.[29]
- This will be the third and final year that the Roku Channel will stream MLB Sunday Leadoff.[29]
Local
[edit]- On March 3, 2025, the Orioles and Nationals reached a settlement to end the teams' dispute over television rights fee payments. MASN, which is owned and operated by the Orioles but airs both teams' games, pays rights fees to the Nationals. Through the settlement, the Nationals' agreement with the Orioles and MASN will end following the 2025 season. The Nationals have not yet announced a new local television agreement.[32]
- On September 8, 2025, the Mets and Nexstar Media Group announced a new agreement to air games over-the-air through the 2028 season. Nexstar stations will exclusively air 30 Mets games locally, including five spring training games. Long time flagship WPIX will continue to air these games, alongside Nexstar stations in Albany, Binghamton, Syracuse, Utica, and Hartford.[33]
- Root Sports, the television home of the Mariners since 1993, announced it would shut down following the 2025 season. MLB Local Media, which produced Mariners games for Root Sports in 2025, will replace Root as the Mariners local broadcaster.[34]
Radio
[edit]The aforementioned ESPN-MLB mutual opt-out included the ending of ESPN Radio's deal to air All-Star Weekend and the entire postseason.[26] MLB has yet to finalize any deals with any broadcasters that will take over these rights.
This will be the third season of the league's five-year deal with SiriusXM and SiriusXM Canada to simulcast all 30 teams' local regular season and postseason broadcasts.[35]
Retirements
[edit]The following players and coaches retired during the 2026 season and before the start of the 2027 campaign:
- Miguel Rojas – October 9, 2025 (announced); will retire at the end of the 2026 season[36]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Sepe-Chepuru, Shanthi (August 26, 2024). "MLB releases 2026 regular-season schedule". MLB.com.
- ^ "MLB calls off London Series for 2026 due to scheduling conflicts". New York Times. September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ a b Rasmussen, Karl (August 26, 2025). "Yankees, Mets to Play at Yankee Stadium on 25th Anniversary of 9/11". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ^ Blum, Ronald (September 23, 2025). "Robot umpires approved for MLB in 2026 as part of challenge system". Associated Press. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
- ^ Harding, Thomas (October 1, 2025). "Schmidt steps down as GM, Rockies begin external search for new head of baseball ops". MLB.com. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Camerato, Jessica (July 6, 2025). "Nats part ways with manager Dave Martinez, GM Mike Rizzo". MLB.com. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Bowman, Mark (October 1, 2025). "Snitker will not return as Braves manager". MLB.com. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
- ^ Bowman, Mark (November 3, 2025). "Braves name Walt Weiss new manager". MLB.com. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ^ Rill, Jake (May 17, 2025). "Hyde out as Orioles manager". MLB.com. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ Rill, Jake (October 27, 2025). "Orioles announce hiring of Craig Albernaz as manager". MLB.com. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ^ Harding, Thomas (May 11, 2025). "Bud Black let go by Rockies in ninth season as manager". MLB.com. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ "Angels part ways with manager Ron Washington (source)". MLB.com. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ Bollinger, Rhett (October 21, 2025). "Angels name former catcher Suzuki their next manager". MLB.com. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ^ "Twins part ways with manager Baldelli". MLB.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ Leach, Matthew (October 30, 2025). "Twins hire Derek Shelton as next manager". MLB.com. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ^ "Padres manager Mike Shildt announces retirement". MLB.com. October 13, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
- ^ "Padres hire former reliever Craig Stammen as next manager".
- ^ Guardado, Maria (September 29, 2025). "Giants dismiss Melvin as manager with year left on contract". MLB.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ Murphy, Brian (October 22, 2025). "Giants name Vols coach Vitello manager in unprecedented hire". MLB.com. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ^ "Bochy won't manage Rangers in '26, offered front-office role". MLB.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ Landry, Kennedi (October 13, 2025). "Rangers hire Schumaker as new manager". MLB.com. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ^ Camerato, Jessica (July 7, 2025). "Nationals name Miguel Cairo interim manager". MLB.com. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ "Nationals Make Blake Butera MLB's Youngest Manager Since 72". MLB.com. October 31, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ^ Wright, Colleen (July 24, 2025). "St. Petersburg formally kills Rays stadium deal, approves Trop repair money". Tampa Bay Times.
- ^ "A's unveil new 'Sacramento' gold jersey for 2026". MLB.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ a b Drellich, Evan (February 20, 2025). "MLB, ESPN opt out of TV deal for 2026–28; MLB cites 'minimal coverage'". The Athletic.
- ^ a b Sherman, Alex (August 22, 2025). "Major League Baseball closes in on new media rights deals with ESPN, NBC, Netflix". CNBC.
- ^ Ozanian, Mike (March 9, 2022). "MLB Deals With Apple And NBC Sports Are Worth A Combined $115 Million Annually". Forbes.
- ^ a b c Karp, Austin (August 24, 2025). "MLB short-term media plan coming into focus". Sports Business Journal.
[Apple TV+] would not be losing its existing package of Friday night games, which runs through 2028 ... Roku's package for Sunday morning/early afternoon games runs through next season
- ^ "MLB, Fox complete multiyear agreement". MLB Advanced Media. September 24, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ Brown, Maury (September 24, 2020). "TBS And MLB Reach TV Rights Extension For 2022–28 Reportedly Worth $3.75 Billion". Forbes. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ Lacques, Gabe (March 3, 2025). "Nationals-Orioles MASN dispute settled, giving DC team options for franchise future". USA Today. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "WPIX-TV TO CARRY NEW YORK METS GAMES THROUGH 2028". WPIX. September 8, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ^ Divish, Ryan (September 26, 2025). "Mariners are shuttering ROOT Sports network after regular season". Seattle Times. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ Eisenhauer, Mark. "MLB & SiriusXM Extend Broadcast Agreement Through 2028". SiriusXM. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ Duarte, Michael (October 10, 2025). "Dodgers veteran leader announces his retirement after 2026 season as team celebrates NLCS berth". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved November 2, 2025.