A looming black cloud hangs over Major League Baseball as the league heads into the offseason and the 2027 regular season. The collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET, and although the probable lockout is still nearly two months away, the two sides have been trading blows throughout the 2026 season. On Thursday, Major League Baseball sent its latest proposal to the Players' Union, contingent on the implementation of a salary floor and cap. 

Here's what you need to know about the proposal and how it would impact the Boston Red Sox: 

A move to a 154-game regular season wouldn't take effect until the 2029 season. But it would be a return to the format Major League Baseball used before it expanded to 162 games in 1961. Under this proposal, the league would align with both the minor league schedule and other professional baseball leagues, like the Korean Baseball Organization and Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, making Mondays a near-universal day off. However, the league's proposal allowed one key exception: one or two games would be featured on national broadcasts. MLB Spokesperson Glen Caplin told USA Today's Bob Nightengale that the Monday games would allow the league to "showcase our most exciting teams and players." 

Down the stretch, injuries hit the Red Sox hard, as they lost key relievers Justin Slaten and Tyron Guerrero for the remainder of the season with right-arm injuries. Injured list stints for Ceddanne Rafaela and Willson Contreras kept the offense from regaining its rhythm after the historic 32-5 run from the summer. Fewer games, and thus more off days, is a good way to keep players healthier and better manage the inevitable bumps and bruises that occur over the course of the season. 

Like the 154-game regular season, the move to a seven-game Divisional Series wouldn't take effect until 2029. However, moving to a seven-game series in the second round would, first and foremost, align with the NBA and NHL by using seven-game series to decide the champion. However, the increase in playoff games would also help offset the revenue lost from shortening the regular season by eight games, both in television revenue and in-stadium revenue. 

The Red Sox haven't appeared in the Divisional Round since 2021 when they beat the Tampa Bay Rays in four games. However, if they can get over the wild card hump, the Red Sox would be in great shape for a longer series. More games to win means you need more pitching depth, something the Red Sox have in spades. 

By far, the league's most exotic change is letting teams choose their first-round opponent. Here's how it would work: 

Looking at this year's American League playoffs: The No. 3 seed (the Houston Astros in 2026) would choose who to host in the wild card series: the No. 5 seed (the Red Sox) or the No. 6 seed (the Chicago White Sox). The team that was not selected would play the No. 4 seed (the New York Yankees). 

In the Divisional Round, the No. 1 seed (the Tampa Bay Rays) would get to choose which wild card winner it wants to play. 

With the Boston offense struggling as much as it did over the last month, it likely wouldn't have mattered who the Red Sox faced in the 2026 wild card round. However, in 2025, it theoretically would have provided an easier path for Boston should the Cleveland Guardians have selected them as their opponent instead of the Detroit Tigers. 

"The league made multiple scheduling proposals today. We are reviewing these materials, including the proposed changes to the playoff format. Players will weigh in on these proposals, and we will respond at the bargaining table. Unfortunately, the league once again made it clear that all of its proposals are contingent on players' agreement to a salary cap, a system that guts player rights and compensation, as well as its other anti-player proposals," the MLBPA said in a statement posted to Twitter/X. 

In other words, as long as the league insists on implementing a salary cap and floor, the Players' Union will not agree to any proposal. So, whatever you like or dislike about the league's latest proposal, it likely doesn't matter much right now.