MLB 365: The Radical Plan to Play Baseball All Year
I’m Vince Douglas Gregory of VDG Sports, and I’m here to pitch a wild—but honest—idea: what if we made the season into MLB 365? What if Major League Baseball spread its games across every day of the year, with built-in rest, weather fixes, and a respect for tradition that actually enhances the game?
Table of Contents
- Why MLB 365? The Case for Playing Year-Round
- How It Would Work: Scheduling, Rest, and Logistics
- Maintaining Tradition While Embracing Change
- Addressing Objections: The Math, The Media, The Money
- Weather, Travel, and Player Health
- Conclusion: Say Yes to Possibility
- FAQ
Why MLB 365? The Case for Playing Year-Round
Let’s be real: tradition matters. I love tradition. But tradition shouldn’t be a straitjacket. MLB 365 isn’t about killing what we love—it’s about stretching the calendar to let baseball breathe. Imagine the same 162 games, only spaced differently. Play every other day. Play one game, rest day, play another. Spread the calendar so fans, players, and teams never have to cram everything into a three-month sprint.
Here’s the central pitch in plain terms: keep human beings front and center. I’m standing against the cold logic that says simulations and math always know best. You can have numbers; I want the feel, the personality, the lived experience of baseball. As I said, “If you can’t see the trees, guess what? You in the forest.” MLB 365 is about seeing the whole forest.
How It Would Work: Scheduling, Rest, and Logistics
Before the mathematicians start sharpening their pencils, hear me out. The idea is not to double the number of games per team. It’s to spread the existing schedule across the entire year while adding built-in rest and flexibility. A few practical touches:
- Every-other-day or two-day cadence: Teams could play roughly one game every two days, giving players rest and reducing injury risk.
- Built-in rest weeks: Slotted off-weeks for travel recovery, strategy resets, and mental health—because baseball is a marathon, not a sprint.
- Weather mitigation: Use domed stadiums and roofed venues to host more games during unpredictable months and schedule outdoor teams strategically.
- Flexible on-the-fly adjustments: If weather or special events intervene, the longer timeframe gives MLB breathing room to rearrange without collapsing the postseason calendar.
Maintaining Tradition While Embracing Change
I get it—some of you are traditionalists. You’re worried about losing Opening Day, the rhythm of spring training, or the drama of a September race. MLB 365 doesn’t mean tossing those things out. It means elevating them. Keep opening rituals, preserve spring training intensity, but give teams and fans more chances to engage throughout the year.
We can preserve playoff timelines and rivalry weekends, and still have room for special events, international games, and creative scheduling. It’s not about erasing history; it’s about adding more pages.
Addressing Objections: The Math, The Media, The Money
Yes, the math people will ask how 162 games fit into 365 days. The answer: they already fit. You don’t play every single day. Space those games out. Two hundred and whatever is not the goal—162 games spread over 365 days with targeted rest is. Broadly speaking, this plan could:
- Reduce player fatigue by increasing rest days.
- Improve game-day quality with fresher players and fewer doubleheaders.
- Offer broadcasters consistent content year-round, potentially increasing revenues.
- Give fans more flexibility—attend a wide variety of dates, not just summer weekends.
And to the simulation geeks who say you can’t change the model: models are tools, not gods. Use them to inform logistics, not to flatten the human experience of the game.
Weather, Travel, and Player Health
Weather isn’t a deal-breaker. Domes and roofed stadiums become scheduling anchors during rainy or cold stretches. Travel can be minimized by thoughtful series planning—cluster road trips sensibly and use regional scheduling to reduce cross-country fatigue.
Player health benefits are the clearest upside. More rest days and a less punishing rhythm of games could mean fewer injuries and longer careers, which is good for teams, fans, and the sport’s long-term narrative value.
“Amazing’s my favorite word.”
Yeah, I’m confident. This idea came to me quick, but the confidence comes from believing baseball deserves bold rethinking without losing its soul.
Conclusion: Say Yes to Possibility
MLB 365 isn’t a perfect plan off the shelf. It’s a proposal worth testing, tinkering with, and debating. The core is simple: value the human element, spread games in a way that preserves tradition, and use scheduling creativity to make the game better for players and fans alike.
So please, commissioners, schedulers, and die-hard fans—just say yes to the conversation. We don’t have to settle for the status quo when we could give baseball the room to be great all year long.
FAQ
Q: Would MLB 365 increase the number of games players must play?
A: No. The proposal keeps the 162-game season intact. It simply spreads those games over 365 days with built-in rest and break weeks.
Q: How would the playoffs work under MLB 365?
A: Playoff timing can remain similar; the regular season would be spaced so the postseason starts at roughly the same time it does now, or adjusted slightly to fit player rest and media windows.
Q: What about spring training and offseason tournaments?
A: Spring training traditions can continue. The offseason might shrink in calendar days but expand in meaningful events—international showcases, training windows, and exhibition series that keep fans engaged without burning out players.
Q: Will player fatigue become worse with a longer season?
A: If anything, fatigue should improve because of more frequent scheduled rest days and fewer compressed series. Thoughtful travel planning is key.
Q: How soon could MLB 365 be tested?
A: Start with pilot windows—trial a longer regular-season spread or experiment with offseason showcases. Test, measure, adjust. That’s how big ideas become workable realities.