MLB today announced its tentative schedule for the '16 season, with the full Opening Day slated for Monday, April 4, with 13 games, preceded by an ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” game on April 3. The ESPN game, including the participating clubs, will be announced at a later date, and the network and league are discussing a potential expansion to the opening night broadcast with at least a second game added. The start of the '16 season is two days earlier than the comparable beginning to this season, and the Sunday, Oct. 2, conclusion next year is also two days earlier than '15. If the current playoff schedule and off days are followed again next year, the '16 World Series will begin Oct. 25 and finish as late as Nov. 2.
The interleague divisional pairings in next year's schedule are AL East-NL West, AL Central-NL East, and AL West-NL Central. In addition to that divisional rotation, prime interleague rivals such as Yankees-Mets, Dodgers-Angels, and Cubs-White Sox will each play a pair of two-game series. Those home-and-home matchups, each played on a Monday-Thursday, echo the Prime Rivals week MLB has used previously for such marquee pairings but will be scattered throughout the season. The '16 schedule does not list any international games, but league execs continue to explore a variety of possibilities for next year. The schedule will be finalized with game times early next year. The All-Star Game will be July 12 in San Diego.
