Major League Baseball has started its free agency period, and unlike most similar times in years past, there’s a sense of urgency.
The long-awaited lockout is rapidly approaching, with the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement on December 1. Given the two competing statements released this week, one from the league office purposefully rejecting the reality of baseball, and the Players Association reaffirming their united front against a potential salary cap, that lockout is essentially a guarantee. With the only question still up for debate how long that lockout lasts.
Some on the optimistic side believe that the two sides will find a way to come to an agreement before games are canceled. MLB finally has some momentum on its side, as ratings and attendance have continued to grow. Although the World Series pitting two small market teams against each other predictably did not do as well as 2024-2025 with the Dodgers, Yankees, and Blue Jays involved.
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Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras holds the MVP trophy after the Brewers won baseball’s World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
But the general trend for baseball is positive. Both sides need that to continue, monetarily, making the incentives seemingly more aligned for compromise. Then there’s the pessimistic side.
The negative case is that owners have realized that many fans are totally unaware of how baseball works and have come down on the side of salary caps. Apparently convinced that the reward for owners who refuse to spend money should be enshrined rules to ensure that they never have to spend too much. While locking in a sizable increase in franchise valuations that does nothing to “fix” the nonexistent competitive balance “issues,” but does make the league’s owners significantly richer.
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That would, in theory, mean owners dig their heels in to make themselves richer, always a good bet, while players refuse to budge on a system that protects their ability to enter a free market.
One of the pessimists, apparently? Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper.
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Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper looks on after getting ejected for arguing on a checked swing during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Harper took to the TikTok comment section this week and responded to a few posts in a way that, uh, raised some eyebrows about both his interest in playing and the future of the 2027 regular season.
In response to one post saying, “It seems like March through October is the off-season,” Harper said, “It will be this year,” in a clear reference to canceling 2027.
Then another commentator added, “He likes the offseason more than the season atp (at this point).” Harper posted in response, “This is true.”
Nobody has ever questioned Bryce Harper’s commitment to playing hard and giving every available ounce of effort when he’s on the field. He’s played in nearly 2,000 games since his debut in 2012, played in all 162 games for the first time in his career in 2026 in his age-33 season, and is well on his way to being a first ballot Hall of Famer.
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But admitting you like the offseason more than the regular season isn’t a great look. It just isn’t. And it’s going to give off an Anthony Rendon-ish impression, that baseball is an annoyance rather than a passion.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper stands in the dugout before the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2026. (Brad Mills/Imagn Images)
And to be fair to Harper, the regular season in MLB is grueling. It’s 162 games in around 185 days, involving constant travel, little rest, and long nights. There’s also an extremely, maybe unnecessarily, long spring training. He’s also added another 60 career postseason games. That said, he’s paid extremely well to deal with those challenges, like, $330 million over 13-years well. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask to have some enthusiasm for it. Even if feigned.
Here’s hoping Harper is wrong about the 2027 season though. Regardless of what the ultimate system turns out to be, all baseball fans, for or against a cap, should be united in wanting the sport to have a regular season. Jeopardizing the future wouldn’t help anyone. Unless you really enjoy being at home.