Rob Manfred feels ‘positive’ about MLB in 2028 L.A. Olympics
TORONTO— As Shohei Ohtani leads a wave of baseball’s international popularity, major league officials are working with the players’ union and LA28 officials to reach a deal allowing major league players to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Proposed concepts include an extended Olympic break during the 2028 season, which could include an All-Star Game in San Francisco to keep top baseball players on the West Coast for two weeks rather than moving them across the country, and an Olympic baseball schedule that could begin before the Opening Ceremony.
There is no final agreement. But, for the first time in years of discussions, Commissioner Rob Manfred said publicly that owners had stopped dithering over whether to pause the major league season for a week so baseball’s biggest stars could play in the Olympics.
“I’m positive about it,” Manfred said Saturday during the World Series. “I think the owners have crossed the line in terms of, we would love to do it if we can make it work, but there are some logistical issues that still need to be resolved.”
Manfred suggested that major league participation in the Olympics could be a one-off event. Stopping the season for a week and sending the players to Los Angeles, he said, would be very different from stopping the season for two weeks in 2032 and sending the players to Australia.
“The chances of us playing Brisbane? Tough,” Manfred said. “Much harder than being in Los Angeles”
Manfred said the World Baseball Classic “will remain our centerpiece” for international competition. With a Canadian team competing in the World Series and with Ohtani as the face of the sport, ratings and merchandise sales were soaring outside the United States.
In the Olympics, Ohtani would play at Dodger Stadium.
“Shohei has absolutely been the biggest positive you could imagine for the game all year long,” Manfred said. “In the LCS, he probably had the best game ever, and we’re lucky to have him here in the World Series.”
