Bryce Harper jokes he'll play for the Eagles if baseball season cannot get started
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bryce Harper has a backup plan if Major League Baseball and the players union cannot come to an agreement on compensation for a pandemic-shortened season.
Harper told Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson on his “Outside the Lane” podcast on Saturday that he would want to don the green and white if can’t play for the Philadelphia Phillies this season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“If baseball doesn’t come back, I’ll just go play for the Eagles,” Harper said jokingly.
Harper and Johnson had a laugh after the comment.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In all seriousness, baseball doesn’t appear close to coming to an agreement on salaries to start the season.
Baseball players told MLB additional talks to start the season during the pandemic are pointless and said owners should order a return to work, which would likely spark lengthy litigation and kickoff another war between the two sides.
The union’s action over the weekend could lead to a 50-game season rather than an 82-game season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Players and MLB agreed to a deal March 26 calling for prorated salaries. Players have insisted they should not have to accept additional cuts.
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“Players want to play. It’s who we are and what we do,” union chief Tony Clark said. “Since March, the association has made it clear that our No. 1 focus is playing the fullest season possible, as soon as possible, as safely as possible. Players agreed to billions in monetary concessions as a means to that end, and in the face of repeated media leaks and misdirection, we made additional proposals to inject new revenues into the industry — proposals that would benefit the owners, players, broadcast partners, and fans alike. It’s now become apparent that these efforts have fallen upon deaf ears.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.