High-profile MLB agent Casey Wasserman met with team executives at this week’s owners’ meetings about the potential for MLB players to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympics, reports Evan Drellich of the Athletic. While that push is in the very early stages, Drellich adds that some owners are “increasingly supportive” of the idea of sending big leaguers to the ’28 games in Los Angeles.
Baseball returned to the Olympics for the 2020 event in Tokyo (played in ’21 because of the pandemic). It is not on the docket for this year’s festivities in Paris. Baseball will return for the 2028 Summer Olympics, but it’s unclear whether MLB players would be allowed to participate. Players on a 40-man roster were not included for the 2020 Olympic festivities.
There seems at least some appetite to allowing MLB players to participate four years from now. Drellich notes that the success of the World Baseball Classic has assuaged some concerns about allowing MLB players to partake in international competition (although the most recent WBC obviously wasn’t without a couple serious injuries).
The most significant difference between the WBC and the Olympics is the timing. The World Baseball Classic is in March. The Olympics are scheduled to run from July 14 to 30, although baseball likely wouldn’t run for the full two weeks. The Olympics could partially overlap with the All-Star Break, allowing MLB to substitute those for the Midsummer Classic that year.
Nothing is set in stone. Even if MLB were on-board, there are other hurdles. The Players Association would need to sign off. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement that “The (MLBPA) would be willing to listen to any formal proposal related to baseball and the Olympics” (relayed by Drellich). There’d also be logistics to sort out with the International Olympic Committee. This far in advance, it’s a situation worth monitoring.
Love love love
Hate hate hate.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Smart smart smart.
They’re in Los Angeles, so logistics are less of a concern. I think the players should have the deciding vote. If the MLBPA votes in favor of sending representatives, then players should be able to represent their home country in the Olympics. It would be good for the game.
To summerize: MLB is considering considering?
I was adding my two cents expecting that I would be ignored. Somewhat surprised I got 5 upvotes.
Absolutely. We’ve seen how good the wbc can be. Olympics would be amazing! Players would jump at the opportunity.
Stick with the WBC.
Awful awful idea. Doing the WBC in Spring Training is one thing, but this would be disrupting teams in the middle of a season.
Right. Like the Dodgers are going to pay Ohtani Millions (deferred payments of course) for playing for team Japan.
He already lives in LA it’s just a couple of games with his countrymen during the ASB period of the season
It’s not a couple of games.
Last one was almost 2 weeks.
Robby the robot can’t help but be disruptive to the game.
So who are these players. The 26th man on the roster?
Why would a team weaken its chances of making the playoffs?
I hope not. WBC and winter ball cause enough injuries.
Is that true though? Yes you can get hurt at the Olympics or the WBC but at the same time those players would play games anyway (spring training or mlb).
Those players just as well could get hurt in a ST or regular season game, so I don’t really think there is much added risk if any.
Sure if those games where in January it would be extra risk but when it is in season I think the risk is essentially the same.
Jose altuve broke his hand last year after a WBC HBP but that could have just as well happened in a spring training game.
But you can deal with the consequences better if it happened on YOUR time instead of someone else’s time. If I have an employee that gets hurt at the work I pay him to do, I can handle paying for his recovery and a replacement while he is out. But if that same employee gets hurt doing the same thing that I am not paying him for, why should I have to pay him for his recovery?
Players are getting paid BIG money to do a job for the owners. Taking time off to go do something else should not be acceptable.
If I had an opportunity to compete for a gold medal for my country I would do it in a heartbeat. Hope this is something the players choose to do and that the league supports their decision.
It shouldn’t be on the team’s dime. Suspend the salaries of any participants along with the guaranteed nature of their contracts. Let’s see how many players are willing to risk tens or hundreds of millions of dollars on the chance of a career ending Olympic injury.
Cool it Gordon Gecko
Cap. D- this makes the most sense.
Well, you make 6 figures, so it is easy for you to say.
Yeah, it’s all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.
Then its a sport!
Please don’t allow this MLB. 1. It will disrupt the season. 2. Just wait until another injury plagues the Mets like losing Diaz from the WBC.
Everyone is sweating the injuries…How about the kids who play? Why take that away like the NBA did, just to settle up because other countries use pros ?
Olympics should have never abandoned the amateur stance in the 90s
Agreed. I’ll watch if nothing else is on but the Olympics used to be must see TV. Not anymore.
Professional athletes should not be participating in the Olympics. They already have enough opportunities, let others have the opportunity. Plus, they could easily get injured while playing in exhibition games. It’s a terrible idea.
I like the WBC. But I cannot stand the boring olympics. If players want to play thats fine by me, but if they get hurt in doing so, the guys writing the checks should be off the hook for time missed due to injurys. Unless they have a contract that says otherwise. Whateva! Just my opinion.
Can’t imagine this passing. Where would the liability rest.
On your mom
If your toilet gets clogged, don’t use a plunger…use your hand.
Be a man.
My summers are filled with baseball. I’m not interested in MLB players in the Olympics. Leave that for the kids who have a platform that we can all love, just like the 80’ hockey team. I’d say the same for basketball as well, but I doubt that’ll happen anytime soon.
Why would any minority want to represent the US?
This is such a no brainer and the hypocrisy of this site of the most ardent baseball fans is crazy.
Everyone here has complained about how corporate baseball has become and that games are now just a giant money grab, but the majority of these comments are about protecting their players like APPLE stock, Add that to the stream of “MLB. cant market their product to save their life.”
The WBC and international sports in general have made it clear how much fun and meaning these games can have. The Trout v Ohtani at bat was the most intense magical moment the sport has had in years.
Of course this should happen, hell it should be mandatory if you get the call from your country. Id kill to see Sandoval back in the el tri or Trout avenge Japan.
Yall have lost your dang way.
Any team should have the right to let any player go if they want. Maybe they want to lose a few games and better their draft spot or maybe it could allow a team to use their 40 man spot so they don’t lose someone
I’m sure I’m very much in the minority here, but I liked the Olympics when they were an all-amateur competition. There are plenty of platforms for professional athletes…
I like the format that soccer does. Only allow one player that is professional over a certain age to play. Still would be a huge issue as the Olympics are in seasons for MLB which is the opposite for MLB
It seems to be a short term idea with LA hosting. I hate it but why not make it a winter event and when necessary play in domes? just have it alternate with the WBC like in soccer.
Football. The world Cuo is football. Not soccer.
Hubcap – And I liked the Olympics when it was every four years. Not this every-two-year garbage designed for television ratings and greed. The good times are, unfortunately, gone.
That doesn’t affect me as much, as I’ve never had much interest in the Winter Olympics.
I’ve never had much interest in either Olympics.
I look forward to reading all the posts on here about how if it wasn’t for the Olympics, X-player wouldn’t have been injured.
I understand the appeal of “Winning Gold for Your Country”, but the Olympics are a scam. Let Baseball orchestrate it’s own international events.
No we have not. I love MLB. If players want to play in the useless olympics,fine. But dont tell me ive lost my dang way. MLB is the the absolute best. I love to see any MLB pitcher vs a MLB hitter.
Baseball is an endurance race. The WBC and Olympics are exhibitions and not worth the implications.
Amen Brother
You are the worst
It’s about damn time.
Good luck with that. Guys don’t play in March but suddenly July/August looks good? The first player to go down in the Olympics who’s in the middle of a pennant race (or playoff position) will soon show teams not to advocate for playing.
In-theory it’s a great idea and should have been implemented 30 years ago, after Dream Team 1. With so much money at-stake today with these players plus the window of having a season played in warmer months, don’t see this being viable.
The only way you do this is to suspend the season while it happens. Let’s see if the owners like losing revenue in the middle of the season.
Injuries, injuries, injuries…
Another useless tournament that will no doubt cost at least one MLBer time on the Disabled List as a result.
Meh. We have the WBC and that’s head and shoulders above the Olympics in so many ways. Why do both?
I wish, but having it in the middle of the season ruins everything.
Competitive viciousness DESTROYING THE SPIRIT OF THE OLYMPICS
Not for professional athletes
Perhaps, but the IOC does a better job of destroying the Olympics. Ask Japan.
I like the idea. They could easily have 16 teams, single elimination. The competition would be over in 4 days. If this was scheduled as the all star break, it wouldn’t disrupt the season.