Everything about watching baseball feels a little more complicated this year. You used to just flip on the local sports channel and call it a day, but the cost of MLB TV in 2026 isn't just one number on a screen anymore. It’s a puzzle. If you’re trying to figure out how much you’re actually going to shell out to see your team, you've probably noticed that the old "one price fits all" model is basically dead.
Major League Baseball is in the middle of a massive identity crisis regarding how they broadcast games. Between new deals with Netflix and NBC, plus the ongoing collapse of regional sports networks (RSNs), the "sticker price" you see on the website is only the beginning.
The Real Numbers: What You’ll Pay Right Now
If you want the standard experience—watching out-of-market games—the base cost of MLB TV has held steady at $149.99 for the full yearly All Teams package. If you’d rather go month-to-month, you're looking at $29.99.
Honestly, the monthly plan is a bit of a trap unless you only care about the pennant race in September. Do the math: if you pay monthly from Opening Day through the World Series, you're spending way more than the flat annual fee.
Then there’s the Single Team package. It’s priced at $129.99 yearly.
Is it worth it? Probably not for most people. For a measly $20 difference, you lose access to every other game in the league. If your team is having a bad week and you want to see a no-hitter brewing in another city, you’re locked out. It feels like a bad deal because it is.
Breaking Down the 2026 Options:
- All Teams Yearly: $149.99
- Single Team Yearly: $129.99
- All Teams Monthly: $29.99
- At Bat (Audio Only): $29.99 per year or $3.99 per month
The "At Bat" sub is actually a sleeper hit for commuters. You get the radio feeds with no blackouts. None. You could be sitting in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium and listen to the home broadcast without a hitch.
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The "Blackout" Headache and the New In-Market Solution
Here is where it gets messy. Most fans buy MLB TV thinking they can watch their local team.
You usually can't. If you live in New York, you aren't watching the Mets on the standard MLB TV package. You’re blacked out. However, 2026 is seeing a shift. For the first time, certain teams are offering "In-Market" streaming directly through the MLB app because their old cable networks went bankrupt.
Take the Washington Nationals, for example. For the 2026 season, they launched Nationals.TV. If you live in the D.C. area, you can pay $99.99 for the year or $19.99 a month to stream games with zero local blackouts. This is a massive win, but it's only available for a handful of teams whose broadcast rights were clawed back by the league. If your team is still stuck on a traditional RSN, you’re still stuck with cable or a pricey fuboTV/DirectV Stream sub.
The "Six Subscriptions" Problem
You might think paying the cost of MLB TV covers the whole season. It doesn't.
Not even close.
In 2026, the national TV schedule is fragmented like a broken mirror. MLB signed deals with everyone. If you want to see every "national" game, your wallet is going to feel it:
- Netflix: They now have exclusive rights to things like the Home Run Derby and certain "big event" games. That’s at least $7-15 a month.
- Apple TV+: Friday Night Baseball is still a thing. That’s another $10.
- Peacock/NBC: They took over Sunday Night Baseball and have those weirdly early Sunday morning games. Another $12.
- ESPN/TBS/FOX: You still need a "cable-like" service (YouTube TV or Hulu Live) for these.
If you’re a die-hard, you aren't just paying for MLB TV. You’re paying for a digital ecosystem. By the time you add up all these niche streamers, you might be spending $100+ a month just to ensure you never miss a pitch. It’s frustrating. We all miss the days when one cable box did it all.
How to Get It Cheaper (The "Hidden" Discounts)
Don't pay full price if you don't have to. MLB is surprisingly generous with certain groups, though they don't exactly shout it from the rooftops.
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Students and Military are the big winners here. Usually, through a verification service like ID.me or GovX, you can snag 35% off the total cost of MLB TV. That drops the $150 price tag down to about $97. That’s a steal.
There’s also the T-Mobile Tuesday thing. For years, T-Mobile has given away MLB TV for free to its customers during the last week of March. Every year people think it’s going away, and every year it seems to come back. If you’re on T-Mobile, wait until the week before Opening Day before you enter your credit card info.
The Father's Day and All-Star Breaks
If you can wait until June or July, the price drops off a cliff.
- Father's Day: Usually 50% off.
- All-Star Break: The price often falls to $50-60 for the remainder of the season.
- September: They sometimes offer the whole thing for $20 just to get people in for the stretch run.
Why the Price Feels Higher Than It Is
Bandwidth is the invisible cost. MLB is pushing 4K streams more aggressively in 2026. If you’re running the "Big Inning" feature (which is basically NFL RedZone for baseball) on a 4K TV, you need a serious internet connection. Most experts recommend at least 25 Mbps just for the stream. If your kids are in the other room gaming, you're going to need a 1-Gig fiber plan, which adds to your "baseball budget" indirectly.
Also, MLB.TV now integrates into the ESPN+ app for some users. It’s a bit smoother than the old MLB app, but the pricing remains separate. Don't get confused thinking an ESPN+ sub gets you the games; it just gets you the interface.
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What Should You Actually Buy?
It depends on where you live. That's the bottom line.
If you live in a different state than your favorite team (the "Expat Fan"), the $149 All Teams package is the gold standard. It’s the best value in sports streaming, period. You get every game, home and away feeds, and Spanish language options.
But if you’re a local fan? Check the MLB app first to see if your team is one of the lucky few offering an "In-Market" sub. If they aren't, MLB TV is basically a glorified radio subscription for you unless you use a VPN—which, legally speaking, is a "use at your own risk" territory that violates their Terms of Service.
Your 2026 Action Plan:
- Check your zip code: Use the blackout tool on MLB.com before spending a dime.
- Verify your status: If you’re a student, veteran, or first responder, get that ID.me discount.
- Wait for the T-Mobile window: If you’re a subscriber, don't buy until the free window passes.
- Go for "At Bat" if you're on a budget: $30 for a whole year of live radio is the best "cheap" way to follow the sport.
The cost of baseball is rising, but if you're smart about which specific apps you actually need, you can still follow the 162-game grind without going broke. Just don't buy that Single Team package—it's the only truly bad move on the board.