Bryce Harper has an idea to bring back baseball.
Harper posted his thought on a potential plan for a return late Friday night on Instagram, and it incudes expanded rosters, 135 games, a two-week Super Bowl like World Series, a home-run derby and an All-Star game.
The plan, in it's entirety, via Harper's Instagram post:
Beyond the health and safety which comes first for all players, staff, workers, fans, and families. ⠀⠀Just an idea I have been thinking about. ⠀⠀East/West like NBA. ⠀⠀July 31 days⠀August 31 days ⠀September 30 days ⠀October 31 days ⠀November 15 days ⠀135 games. ⠀Off day every 2 weeks on a Monday and Sunday double header 7 innings. ⠀⠀30 players. 6 man rotation. Save arms. IF pitchers wanted this. If not no big deal. DH and any other ideas possible.⠀⠀Playoffs ⠀2 week World Series. Like Super bowl week. ⠀⠀10 teams round robin format College World Series kinda style at the new Texas Stadium or whatever stadium/ stadiums are best. 3 game series. You win the series you move on. You lose you play the other loser in a 1 game wildcard. Winner of that moves on. Other team is out. ⠀Or you could play it in Vegas so you have the Strip Hotels and could use one hotel for all the guys and contain possibly? ⠀⠀2 teams left 7 game World Series. They get 2 days off before the series. With those 2 days off you do a All Star Game and homerun derby. Could do the MLB awards as well at that time. ⠀⠀Open this up on all platforms. No blackouts. Open it for everybody to watch. ⠀Then you back up season the next 2 years. May 1st 2021. April 1st 2022. Maybe I'm crazy. Just fun to think about and throw around ideas--
Harper's idea comes just one day after he defended Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell, who said the following about the risks of returning:
"Y'all gotta understand, man, for me to take a pay cut is not happening, because the risk is through the roof, it's a shorter season, less pay," Snell said coutesty of the NY Post. "I gotta get my money. I'm not playing unless I get mine, okay? And that's just the way it is for me. Like, I'm sorry you guys think differently, but the risk is way the hell higher and the amount of money I'm making is way lower, why would I think about doing that? Like you know, I'm just, I'm sorry."
Harper talked about Snell's controversial comments Thursday night during a Fortnite session on Twitch with Phillies prospect Bryson Stott.
"He ain't lying. He's speaking the truth bro," Harper said. "I ain't mad at him. Somebody's gotta say it, at least he manned up and said it. Good for him. I love Snell, the guy's a beast. One of the best lefties in the game."
Currently, the MLB owners and players' association are in a disagreement. The owners are proposing a 50-50 revenue split for the 2020 season, something the players are clearly seem to be against.
Whether baseball will return remains to be seen, but if it does, Harper's plan is certainly an interesting one.
