Major League Baseball is lining up its earliest opening day ever for a domestic season in 2027, with the schedule set to begin on March 24 - though that date still comes with a big asterisk if there is a season at all.
The league announced Thursday that 2027 will open with a single game on Netflix that night, but the teams for that matchup have not been selected yet.
For the Twins, the calendar keeps moving up. Minnesota will open the 2027 campaign on Thursday, March 25, against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, marking the third straight season the club will play its earliest Opening Day game ever. The Twins then get a second straight home opener, welcoming the Rays to Target Field on Friday, April 2.
The rest of the league’s opening slate is packed with familiar names and heavyweight matchups: Cleveland at the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis at Cincinnati, the Chicago White Sox at Detroit, Texas at Houston, Atlanta at the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets at Miami, the Angels at Milwaukee, Toronto at the Yankees, the Athletics at Pittsburgh, Arizona at San Diego, Colorado at San Francisco, Boston at Seattle, Baltimore at Tampa Bay and Philadelphia at Washington.
There’s a cloud hanging over all of it. Baseball’s labor contract expires Dec. 1, and a management lockout is expected. The last time the sport ran into this kind of uncertainty, in 2022, an agreement didn’t come together until March 10, which pushed opening day back from March 31 to April 7.
Chicago will host the All-Star Game at Wrigley Field on July 13, with a rivalry weekend set to follow after that.
The regular season is scheduled to wrap up on Sept. 26.
The Athletics’ situation remains unusual, too. They are slated to play most of their home games in West Sacramento, California, for a third straight season before their move to a new ballpark in Las Vegas. They’ll also have a homestand at the Triple-A ballpark in Las Vegas beginning May 31 against San Diego and Cincinnati.
And because there is no labor contract in place for 2027, MLB said no international games are scheduled.
In Other News...
Twins Fans Just Got The Byron Buxton News They Dreaded
Byron Buxtons 2026 season had been shaping up as one of the best of his career, the kind of run that had him right in the middle of the Twins lineup plans and earning a spot on the American League All-Star roster. Through 75 games, he had given Minnesota the impact production it has long hoped for, making his latest setback feel especially untimely for a club that has learned to appreciate every healthy stretch he can string together.
The concern now is less about one missed week than the familiar place where the problem showed up. Buxton was put on the 10-day injured list July 7, and the Twins will spend the next stretch waiting to see whether this is a brief interruption or another reminder of how fragile his availability can be. If the issue settles quickly, there is at least a path back in the near future, but for now Minnesota is left hoping the seasons most encouraging Buxton chapter does not get interrupted for long. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Fans Wont Like Where This Trade Buzz Just Went
With the trade deadline closing in, the Phillies recent surge under Don Mattingly has only sharpened the focus on what they still need, especially on the pitching side and in the outfield. That kind of roster pressure tends to create noise, and this time it has reached a player the Twins have spent years building around in Byron Buxton, whose mix of power and athleticism naturally makes him the sort of name that gets tossed into every big-market conversation.
For Minnesota, the bigger issue is not just the speculation itself but how quickly it can gather steam when a club like Philadelphia is looking for impact help. Buxton is under contract for two more years at a little over $15.1 million per season, and he has been productive enough this year to keep his profile high, which only adds to the outside chatter. Still, the Twins have made it clear internally that moving him is not on the table, and the situation is further complicated by the fact that he holds the leverage to control where this story goes next. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Deadline Focus Just Shifted To Three Realistic Fixes
The Twins deadline conversation has settled into a familiar place: pitching first, bullpen help especially, and a search for players who can fit without forcing the front office into a long-term gamble. Minnesotas playoff push has made relief depth a priority, and the latest thinking around the market points to a few realistic paths rather than one splashy swing. Veteran arms Jake McGee and Trevor May are among the names being floated, with both offering the kind of experience contenders tend to value when the games tighten in August and September.
Jo Adell also enters the discussion as a different kind of fit, one that would address the lineup more than the mound. The idea is straightforward enough for a Twins club trying to stay in the race: add a bat with some upside while still keeping the bullpen search front and center. For now, though, the bigger question is which of these directions Minnesota is most willing to pursue, and how aggressive it plans to be before the deadline starts to close in. [Read more 🡒]