Major League Baseball is midway through a 2026 season dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jacob Misiorowski.
But the momentum of the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby could come to a sudden halt as the playoffs approach.
Disagreements between MLB and the Players Association threaten to force an extended work stoppage.
Yet a growing controversy surrounding the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles also could slow baseball’s momentum.
Disagreements have arisen between MLB and the MLBPA over hotel rooms, tickets and a mandatory-participation agreement in the 2028 Olympics, according to ESPN.
MLB players are set to participate in the Olympics for the first time in history.
This will also be the first Olympics in Los Angeles since 1984, with the NFL making a big push for flag football.
The USA, Dominican Republic and reigning World Baseball Classic champion Venezuela have already qualified for the 2028 Olympics, and some of MLB’s biggest stars have proudly attached their names to a global summer showcase in Los Angeles.
“It’s such a great opportunity for all athletes to come together in all different walks of life, all different cultures. I love it,” said Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper.
“I think it’d be great. I hope it works out. I grew up watching the Summer Olympics. I was in one of the greatest eras of Olympics of all time. Michael Phelps — are you kidding me? There was nothing like it. Our women’s team swim team was incredible. Gymnastics floor. It’s everything. You got it all.”
But a resolution between MLB and the MLBPA will be required, and time is running out to guarantee that MLB players will participate in the 2028 Olympics.
“If I have an opportunity to put the American flag and USA on my chest again at the level of the Olympics, it would mean everything to me,” Harper said.
“I’ve wanted it for a long time, and I would love to be there. You’re trying to grow this game internationally, and I don’t think there’s a better place to do that than the Olympics.”
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Baseball’s 2028 Summer Olympics agreement is complicated by the fact that MLB plans to end the first half of the ’28 season on July 9, then hold the Home Run Derby on July 10 and the annual All-Star Game on July 11.
A six-team baseball tournament would then run from July 13-19 at Dodger Stadium, potentially including Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (Japan) and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (USA).
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred previously expressed optimism that the league and its owners would find middle ground with players for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“I think people have come to appreciate that the Olympics on US soil is a unique marketing opportunity for the game,” Manfred said.
“I think we’ve got a lot of players interested in doing it and I feel pretty good about the idea that we’ll get there.”
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But the potential for a lockout and extended work stoppage looms large in MLB this season.
An almost eight-month strike in 1994-95 caused the first World Series cancellation since 1904, and Manfred is pushing for a salary cap to decrease payroll disparity among teams.
Baseball wasn’t part of the Summer Olympics in 2012 and 2016.
It returned for the Tokyo Games in 2021, but was not part of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
MLB players haven’t played in the Summer Olympics before, and America’s biggest hitters will surely be looking forward to making history in Los Angeles in 2028 — if they can reach a timely agreement with MLB.
“There are some issues with the MLBPA that we just need to resolve,” Manfred said in February. “I sense a lot of momentum towards playing in LA in 2028. I think we’re going to get over those issues.”
