MLB Players’ Path to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Mired in Negotiations Over Participation, Tickets and Housing

Major League Baseball (MLB) has secured owner support for allowing its players to compete in baseball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The league plans to pause regular-season play for 11 days, ending the first half of July on July 9, holding the Home Run Derby on July 10, the All-Star Game on July 11, and beginning the six-team Olympic tournament on July 13—one day before the Opening Ceremony. The competition will run through July 19, with regular-season play resuming on July 21.

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LA28’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) offered 435 additional hotel rooms beyond the 100 reserved for MLB and 100 for the Japanese team, and a “friends-and-family” ticket policy allowing two tickets per participating athlete, with the possibility of purchasing more. MLB’s May 27 proposal introduced a mandatory-participation agreement that would place non-compliant players on the restricted list without pay or service time from July 12 to August 3 and permit disciplinary fines or unpaid suspensions.

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MLB seeks a binding agreement to ensure its top stars—such as Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge—appear on the Olympic stage. LA28’s vice president of sports, Niccolò Campriani, said the package “appropriately recognizes the significance of MLB players participating in the LA28 Olympic Games while balancing the many interests involved.” The MLB Players Association (MLBPA) has not offered its own proposal, instead pushing back on the mandatory-participation clause and the restricted-list provision, arguing that the terms do not reflect the financial value players bring to the Games.

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MLBPA adviser Ian Penny emphasized the union’s demand for “fair treatment for its members in consideration for the substantial financial value they would bring to LA28,” calling for direct compensation to offset expenses and potential loss of commercial rights. The union also cites injury risk—highlighted by past reluctance to send pitchers to the World Baseball Classic—and the difficulty of insuring players as reasons to reject compulsory participation.

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• “It's such a great opportunity for all athletes to come together in all different walks of life, all different cultures. I love it,” — Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder

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• “You want to make that team,” — Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies slugger

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• “the MLBPA is seeking fair treatment for its members in consideration for the substantial financial value they would bring to LA28.” — Ian Penny, MLBPA adviser

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• “We believe this package appropriately recognizes the significance of MLB players participating in the LA28 Olympic Games while balancing the many interests involved," Campriani, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in rifle, wrote to top officials from MLB, the MLBPA and the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the governing body of Olympic baseball.” — Niccolò Campriani, LA28 vice president of sports

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• “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,” — Bryce Harper, outfielder

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