Where Can I Watch Major League Baseball in 2026? What You Need to Know

Finding a game used to be easy. You turned on the TV, found the local sports channel, and there it was. Now? It feels like you need a PhD in streaming services and a massive spreadsheet just to keep track of Opening Day. If you're asking where can i watch major league baseball this year, the answer is "everywhere," but also "it depends."

The 2026 season has fundamentally shifted the landscape. Long-standing partnerships have dissolved, and new players like Netflix have stepped onto the diamond. It’s a messy transition for fans, but if you know which apps to download, you won't miss a single pitch.

The Big Shakeup: NBC and Netflix Move In

The biggest news for 2026 is the return of baseball to NBC. After decades away, NBC and Peacock have reclaimed a massive chunk of the schedule. This isn't just a few games here and there; they've basically taken over Sundays.

Sunday Night Baseball's New Home

For over 20 years, Sunday Night Baseball was an ESPN staple. That’s over. Now, your Sunday night fix lives on NBC and Peacock. This is actually a win for people with a simple digital antenna—you can watch the biggest game of the week for free over the air.

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However, there’s a catch. When NBC has conflicts with the NFL or NBA later in the season, some of those games will shift exclusively to Peacock.

The Netflix Debut

Believe it or not, Netflix is now a baseball broadcaster. They aren't doing a full season of games, but they’ve snatched up the "tentpole" events. If you want to see the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants kick things off on Opening Night (March 25), you’ll need a Netflix login. They also have the exclusive rights to the Home Run Derby and the Field of Dreams game on August 13.

Where Can I Watch Major League Games Locally?

This is where things get "kinda" complicated. The old Regional Sports Network (RSN) model is collapsing in real-time. Teams like the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, and now the Washington Nationals have ditched their old cable partners.

If you live in the home market of these teams, you basically have two choices:

• The New Direct-to-Consumer Apps: Many teams now offer a standalone streaming service (like Nationals.TV or Padres.TV) that lets you watch games without a cable bill.
• MLB.TV In-Market: For select teams, MLB has taken over the broadcast production entirely. You can often buy an "In-Market" pass through the MLB app that bypasses the old blackout rules for those specific teams.

For teams still on traditional RSNs (like the Yankees on YES or the Dodgers on SportsNet LA), you’re still tethered to a cable provider or a live TV streamer like Fubo or DirecTV Stream.

The National Streaming Squeeze

Outside of your local team, you’re going to be jumping between apps constantly. It’s annoying. You’ve got Apple TV+ holding onto those Friday Night Baseball doubleheaders. You’ve got ESPN handling a package of midweek games. And Peacock has revived the "Sunday Leadoff" games, which are those early-morning starts that usually happen around 11:30 AM or Noon Eastern.

Here is the quick checklist of what you'll likely need:

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1. Peacock: For Sunday Leadoff and the Wild Card rounds of the playoffs.
2. Netflix: For Opening Night, the Home Run Derby, and the World Baseball Classic.
3. Apple TV+: For Friday night doubleheaders.
4. ESPN: For the midweek national games and the Little League Classic.
5. FOX/FS1: For the All-Star Game and the bulk of the Postseason (Division Series through World Series).

MLB.TV and the ESPN Partnership

One of the weirdest changes this year involves the out-of-market service we all know as MLB.TV. While it still exists under the MLB brand, ESPN has actually acquired the rights to sell and distribute it.

Basically, if you’re a Red Sox fan living in Seattle, you can now subscribe to MLB.TV directly through the ESPN+ interface. It’s meant to consolidate things, but honestly, it just adds another layer to the login screen. The good news is that the price has stayed relatively stable at $149.99 for the full season.

How to Save Money While Watching

You don't actually need to subscribe to all six services at once. That's a trap. Most people only care about their local team and the big playoff games.

If you want to keep costs down, buy a high-quality digital antenna. This gets you the FOX games and the NBC Sunday Night games for a one-time cost of $30. Then, only subscribe to things like Peacock or Apple TV+ during the months your team is actually featured on those platforms. Most of these services allow you to cancel and restart whenever you want.

Your Actionable Next Steps:

• Check your local team's broadcast partner: Go to your team’s official website right now to see if they moved to a "Direct-to-Consumer" model (like the Nationals or Twins).
• Test your antenna: If you haven't used one in a while, scan for channels to make sure you can clear NBC and FOX signals before the season starts.
• Audit your subscriptions: If you only have Netflix for Stranger Things, remember that it now doubles as your ticket to Opening Night and the Home Run Derby.