The MLB Players Association just put real proposals on the table, and one of them would change how teams build their rosters right out of spring training. The union wants to expand active rosters from 26 to 28 players for the first 15 days of the regular season, with a cap of 14 pitchers. That’s not a small tweak.
The idea is straightforward. Opening Day comes with its own kind of chaos. Pitchers aren’t fully stretched out. Position players are shaking off rust. And teams are making decisions based on three weeks of spring games, not real baseball. The MLBPA’s argument is that extra roster spots during that window protect player health while also giving more guys a shot to break camp with the big league club.
But the proposal isn’t just about April. The union laid out six specific requests aimed at what they call “roster manipulation” and player safety. These are the ones getting attention around the league.
What the MLBPA actually wants
Here’s the full list as reported by Jorge Castillo and the MLBPA directly:
28-man rosters for the first 15 days of the season. Fourteen pitcher maximum. Designed to ease the transition from spring training into the regular grind.
Players can go on the 60-day IL as early as the November tender deadline. That would open up 40-man roster spots during the offseason for teams that need to replace guys with known long-term injuries.
Reduce optional assignments from five per player to three. The union wants to cut down on the revolving door of players being shuttled back and forth between the majors and minors. Fewer options means more stability for the guys on the bubble.
Make Rule 5 Draft eligibility happen sooner. And guarantee the draft happens every year of the next collective bargaining agreement. That gives minor league prospects a faster path to being added to MLB rosters.
Service time and salary protections for pitchers optioned over the All-Star break or immediately after hitting certain performance thresholds. This one targets middle relievers and spot starters who get sent down even though they’re pitching well. The union calls it a move against “roster manipulation.”
Full player access to non-proprietary performance data and video. Basically let players see the same info the front office is using to evaluate them.
The most immediately noticeable change would obviously be the 28-man roster. More jobs open up. Younger players get big league experience. And managers have extra arms to rest overworked bullpens during that strange start-of-season period where everyone is figuring things out.
The relationship between the league and the union hasn’t been great. Multiple lockouts, another one possibly coming after 2026. But these proposals are on the table now, and they signal what the players care about heading into negotiations.
None of this is agreed to yet. The league will push back on some of it, especially anything that shrinks roster flexibility over the full season. But the MLBPA made its first move. Now we see what the other side says.
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