MLB Players' Involvement In 2028 Summer Olympics 'In Jeopardy'
Active MLB players could participate in the Summer Olympics for the first time during the 2028 Los Angeles Games. However, several issues remained unsolved in ongoing conversations.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that growing support among MLB owners is building to allow players to compete in the Olympics. Yet disagreements between them and the MLB Players Association are complicating the process of finalizing a deal.
Passan cited issues with hotel rooms, tickets, insurance, NIL rights, and a mandatory participation agreement proposed by the league as complications that have "jeopardized" the players' involvement in the 2028 Games. The MLBPA has been reluctant to sign off on LA28's proposal while pursuing an agreement more in line with what NHL players received from the NHL and the International Olympic Committee to compete in the Milano Cortina Games earlier this year.
"Emails and documents obtained by ESPN illustrate the conflict between the parties that has spanned months and left officials at LA28 seeking a prompt resolution," Passan wrote. "MLB likewise has pushed for clarity, sources said, as it plans to shut down the sport for 11 days to accommodate an All-Star Game on the West Coast that would precede the six-team tournament scheduled to be played at Dodger Stadium."
What's holding back deal?
Per Passan, the MLBPA has resisted the league's request for "compulsory involvement for all players." They also oppose a measure that would allow teams to place players on the restricted list, where they wouldn't receive pay or accrue major league service time, from July 12 to Aug. 3 if they don't meet requirements.
The union also "strongly opposes" a proposal giving commissioner Rob Manfred the authority to fine or suspend a player without pay for "just cause."
The MLBPA received a memo from LA28 in May detailing the groundwork for a potential deal. According to the notice, players would be allowed to purchase two tickets per game in games they participated in for friends and family. LA28 offered 435 hotel rooms in addition to 100 reserved by MLB and 100 for the Japanese national team.
Niccolò Campriani, LA28's vice president of sports, wrote in an email that they are "happy to discuss implementation details" and "work through questions around the edges."
"We believe this package appropriately recognizes the significance of MLB players participating in the LA28 Olympic Games while balancing the many interests involved," Campriani wrote to top MLB officials, the MLBPA and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. "No league is getting terms more favorable terms than this."
Permitting MLB players to compete in the Olympics would require scheduling tweaks for the 2028 regular season. The All-Star break would start on July 10, and the baseball tournament would take place from July 13-19 before the MLB season resumes on July 21.
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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 7:37 AM.