ARLINGTON — Could major league players compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles? There’s still a long way to go before that becomes a reality, but according to commissioner Rob Manfred, the idea has certainly been discussed.
Manfred invited Casey Wasserman, president of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, to give a presentation to the owners, outlining his vision for MLB players competing in the Summer Games in four years.
“He was telling me things that they needed to hear directly,” Manfred said during his annual question-and-answer session with members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. “Sometimes it’s better that way. I invited Casey to come in and he did a very good job. He was very persuasive. I told Casey last week that we were talking about what could be done. What exactly would that look like? What would be the tradeoffs that we would have to make in terms of our season? I’m keeping an open mind on that.”
Using MLB players in the Olympics would obviously present logistical challenges, as the Summer Games fall in the middle of the major league season.
Manfred noted that during his rounds of talking to players, he’s heard a number of them express interest in the topic. Several All-Stars said Monday they would welcome and cherish the opportunity to represent their country at the Olympics, some having already gotten a taste of it at the World Cup. World Baseball Classic.
“There’s nothing like wearing your country’s colours on your chest,” Bryce Harper said. “There’s nothing better than going to another country, winning and hearing their anthem play. So hopefully we can do something. Obviously it’s difficult logistically, but it would be a lot of fun to be able to put baseball out there and have the best players represent their country.”
“You want to experience as much as you can in this sport, and I think the WBC is a good indicator of how people feel about their national team being involved,” Christian Yelich said. “It’s pretty cool, right? The atmosphere and popularity of the WBC is growing, and it’s getting more and more fun to be a part of. It’s one of my fondest baseball memories, so yeah, I think it would be awesome.”
Baseball is set to return to the Olympics in 2028, but the question remains whether MLB players will participate. Manfred noted that the Olympic location presents a unique opportunity.
“The most compelling thing Casey said was that you have to forget about what’s going to happen with baseball in the Olympics in the long term, because in Paris, they’re not likely to build a baseball stadium,” Manfred said. “But when you’re in Los Angeles, you’re focused on Los Angeles, it’s an opportunity that you have to think about.”
Harper recently mentioned something to Manfred “off the cuff” about the 2028 Games. He is one of several players who have expressed excitement about such a possibility.
“I think we’re talking about growing the game, that’s the most important thing,” Harper said. “If you can grow the game at the Olympics and be a part of it, there’s something to be said for that.”
Tony Clark, executive director of the MLB Players Association, said the union would take up the issue with the league if players expressed such a desire.
“Personally, all I can tell you is I would have loved to have had the opportunity – even with the WBC – to wear the United States jersey on my chest,” Clark said. “I didn’t get that opportunity. Obviously, the Olympics are something that, as a young person, regardless of sport, you watch on TV and you aspire to be a part of it. The feedback we’ve gotten so far from the players is that they’re interested in participating if the opportunity presents itself. So we expect, at least at this point, that that’s a conversation that we’re looking to have.”
ABS at Spring Training 2025?
Manfred said earlier this year that an automated ball-striking system (ABS) would not arrive in the Majors in 2025, adding that if and when it did happen, it would likely be in the form of a challenge system.
On Tuesday, the commissioner reiterated that “it’s not likely that we’ll bring ABS to the major leagues without a spring training test” and that while nothing has been decided, that test could happen as early as next spring.
“One thing we learned with the changes last year is that a little more time is better than not enough. In terms of making sure that when you bring something to the major leagues, you have to make sure you get it right,” Manfred said. “We’ve made some hardware advancements; the technology is good to the hundredth of an inch; the technology in terms of ball flight is more than perfect, number one. Number two, we’ve listened to — me, in particular, and I’ve talked a lot with the owners about this — the feedback from the players on how they want the system to be rolled out. Our focus, obviously, in the second half of this year is on the challenge system, and it’s based almost 100 percent on player feedback. I think that’s a significant step forward.”
Manfred noted that technical issues “still need to be resolved” around defining the strike zone, and while he called the 2026 season a “viable possibility” for the official introduction of ABS in the major leagues, that is far from certain.
Clark said he thought giving players the opportunity to test a new ABS challenge system during spring training would be a useful tool.
“To the extent the league is considering implementing this strategy, it would be beneficial for players to see it at some point beyond the minor league experiences,” Clark said. “But we’ll have to wait and see what that might look like.”
All-Star Uniforms Going Retro?
There has been much discussion among fans about the idea of players wearing their regular team uniforms to the All-Star Game rather than the AL and NL uniforms that were implemented in 2021, an issue Manfred said would surely be discussed in the future.
“I’m aware of the opinion on this issue,” Manfred said. “I think it’s something we’re going to discuss after the All-Star Game. Obviously, those discussions have to involve the players, first and foremost, but also Nike and some of our partners. I’m aware of that feeling and I know why people like this tradition.”
