Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association aren't on the same page when it comes to participation in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Although owners are in support of big leaguers taking part in the Olympics for the first time, the league and the union are in conflict over a mandatory participation agreement, tickets, and hotel rooms, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.
MLB reportedly wants a resolution as the league plans to institute an 11-day pause for an All-Star Game on the West Coast before the six-team tournament takes place at Dodger Stadium.
Bruce Meyer of the MLBPA on the site of the 2028 All-Star Game if MLB players are allowed to play in the 2028 LA Olympics: "As far as I know, yes, San Francisco is the site."
— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) July 14, 2026
The MLBPA is reportedly looking for a deal similar to the agreement the International Olympic Committee, National Hockey League, and NHLPA reached. The 2026 Winter Olympics marked the first time NHL players participated in 12 years.
"In general our players want to play in the Olympics," union head Bruce Meyer said Tuesday, according to Ronald Blum of The Associated Press. "They're patriotic, and for them it's a special opportunity, and we want them to have that opportunity. Having said that, we want to make sure that they have things like travel and accommodations, and things that they deserve based on who they are."
The league is proposing a mandatory participation agreement that would put players who don't meet requirements on the restricted list from July 12 to Aug. 3, according to a copy of the proposal obtained by Passan. However, the union opposes an agreement that would make it possible to put players on the restricted list or give commissioner Rob Manfred the power to issue fines or suspensions.
MLB wants mandatory participation to highlight baseball's biggest stars, sources told Passan, while the union wants players to be able to decide themselves if they want to go to the Olympics.
In terms of tickets, players would be permitted to purchase two per game in which they take part based on the friends-and-family policy for LA28, officials told the MLBPA, according to Passan. Organizers informed the union that athletes will likely have a chance to buy more tickets.
MLB has reserved 100 hotel rooms and the Japanese team, which is expected to earn a spot following the WBSC Premier12 tournament in November 2027, has reserved another 100. The Olympic organizing committee has reportedly offered an additional 435 hotel rooms. The accommodations can be used for family, as players will be able to stay at the Olympic Village on the UCLA campus.
The MLBPA hasn't countered MLB's proposal, Passan reports.
The United States, Dominican Republic, and Venezuela qualified for the Olympics after the 2026 World Baseball Classic. There are three more spots remaining for the event.
Baseball returned to the Summer Games in 2021 but wasn't part of the event in 2024.
