How To Watch MLB Without Cable (2026)

To watch MLB without cable in 2026: 1. Subscribe to MLB.TV through ESPN ($29.99/month or $139.99 for the rest of the season) to stream every out-of-market game. 2. Add Peacock ($10.99/month) for Sunday Night Baseball, which moved from ESPN to NBC this year. 3. Pick up the other national windows only if you need them: Apple TV ($12.99/month) for Friday Night Baseball, HBO Max for Tuesday TBS games, and FOX One ($19.99/month) or a free antenna for games on FOX. The 2026 season brought the biggest shake-up in baseball broadcasting in decades, so here is exactly where every game lives now — and the cheapest way to get the ones you care about.

The Big 2026 Change: MLB.TV Now Lives On ESPN

Under baseball's new three-year media deals, ESPN is the new sales home of MLB.TV, the league's out-of-market streaming package. New subscribers buy MLB.TV through ESPN rather than through the league, and new purchases include a one-month free trial of ESPN Unlimited — ESPN's $29.99/month all-access streaming tier. Two important reassurances: existing MLB.TV subscribers renew as usual with no action required, and you do not have to keep paying for ESPN Unlimited to keep using MLB.TV. Once subscribed, you can watch games in either the ESPN app (with multiview and toggling between home and away feeds) or the regular MLB app.

ESPN Unlimited itself is worth a look for baseball fans even without MLB.TV: it includes an out-of-market "MLB Game of the Day" — more than 150 games across the season — at no extra charge.

MLB.TV: Every Out-Of-Market Game

MLB.TV remains the single best value in sports streaming — every regular-season game for the 29 teams outside your home market, live and on demand. Current 2026 pricing after a midseason price drop:

Monthly: $29.99/month (includes the one-month ESPN Unlimited trial for new buyers)
Rest of season: $139.99 (down from $149.99 at the start of the year; $134.99 for existing ESPN Unlimited subscribers)
Single team: from $119.99 depending on the club

Subscriptions also include MLB Network, Big Inning whip-around coverage, Minor League games, and the game archive. The catch has not changed: your local team's games are blacked out on MLB.TV in your home market. Use MLB's game availability locator (on mlb.com) with your zip code to see exactly which teams are blacked out for you before buying.

Where The National Games Are In 2026

National windows are spread across seven outlets this season. Here is the full map:

Sunday Night Baseball — NBC and Peacock. After 30+ years on ESPN, the Sunday showcase now airs on NBC, with every game streaming on Peacock ($10.99/month for Premium; $16.99 ad-free). Peacock also simulcasts NBC Sports Network games that are not on the NBC broadcast channel, and NBC now holds the Wild Card playoff round.
Friday Night Baseball — Apple TV. Apple's Friday doubleheaders returned March 27 for a fifth season. You need the Apple TV subscription at $12.99/month (7-day free trial for new subscribers).
Tuesday games on TBS — stream on HBO Max. Warner's TBS package continues, and cord-cutters can stream those broadcasts on HBO Max — but note that live sports require the Standard plan ($18.49/month) or higher; the cheaper Basic With Ads plan does not include live games.
FOX and FS1 — FOX One or an antenna. FOX keeps its Saturday package plus the All-Star Game and World Series. FOX One streams all of it for $19.99/month with a 3-day free trial, and games on the main FOX network are free over the air with an antenna. Our FOX One guide covers the service in detail.
ESPN — a leaner 30-game slate. ESPN no longer has Sunday nights or playoff games, but still carries about 30 regular-season games, including the Jackie Robinson Day matchup and the Little League Classic in August, available through ESPN Unlimited or any TV package with ESPN.
Netflix — three specials. Netflix picked up Opening Night (already played), the Home Run Derby during All-Star week in mid-July, and the Field of Dreams Game on August 13 (Phillies vs. Twins). Any Netflix plan works.
MLB Network — included free with any MLB.TV subscription, in season for monthly subscribers and year-round for seasonal ones.

What About My Local Team?

This is where cord-cutting baseball gets personal, because it depends on who produces your team's broadcasts:

Teams produced and distributed by MLB (a growing list after the regional sports network collapse): you can buy in-market streaming directly for $20/month or $100/season, or bundle in-market games with full MLB.TV for $40/month or $200/year. No blackouts on the league-produced package.
Teams still on an independent regional sports network: you will need that RSN's own direct-to-consumer app or a live TV service that carries the channel. Pricing varies by team.
Live near nothing? If you live outside your favorite team's broadcast territory, plain MLB.TV covers them with no blackout — the single-team plan is the cheap route.

Watching Baseball For Free (Or Close To It)

An antenna pulls in FOX and NBC broadcasts — including the All-Star Game, Sunday Night Baseball weeks on NBC, and the World Series — for a one-time $20–30 cost.
Free trials: new MLB.TV buyers get a month of ESPN Unlimited free, Apple TV offers 7 days, and FOX One offers 3 days.
ESPN Unlimited's Game of the Day gives you 150+ out-of-market games without buying MLB.TV at all.

The Cheapest Setups

Out-of-market fan, one team: MLB.TV single-team plan (from $119.99/season) and nothing else.
Baseball generalist: MLB.TV seasonal ($139.99) covers 2,000+ games; add Peacock in October if your team reaches the Wild Card round.
National-games-only viewer: an antenna plus Peacock ($10.99) covers more marquee games than any single paid service.

If you are juggling several of these subscriptions, our guide to seeing and canceling all your subscriptions in one place makes it painless to rotate services with the calendar — and if you stream ESPN on a TV, here is how to activate the ESPN app.

FAQ

Can I still buy MLB.TV on mlb.com?

Existing subscribers renew normally and can keep watching in the MLB app. New monthly and seasonal purchases go through ESPN, but the games are watchable in either app afterward.

Do I have to keep ESPN Unlimited to keep MLB.TV?

No. The free ESPN Unlimited month that comes with a new MLB.TV purchase can be canceled without affecting your MLB.TV subscription.

Why did Sunday Night Baseball leave ESPN?

ESPN opted out of its old deal after the 2025 season. The Sunday package and Wild Card round went to NBC/Peacock and the Home Run Derby to Netflix, while ESPN struck a new deal centered on MLB.TV and a 30-game slate.

Does MLB.TV include the playoffs?

No — postseason games air on their national broadcasters (NBC/Peacock for the Wild Card round, then FOX/FS1 and TBS). Plan on an antenna plus Peacock and HBO Max or FOX One for a full October run.