Bryce Harper’s offhand social-media answer about the 2027 MLB season landed with plenty of noise, and two former players said they understood exactly where he was coming from.
Harper recently suggested there may not even be a 2027 season, pointing to the possibility of a lockout during collective bargaining negotiations. The comment surprised a lot of people, but on Ross and Rizzo Unfiltered, Anthony Rizzo and David Ross said the reaction made sense to them.
Harper’s exchange with fans started when he responded to a comment that the offseason runs from March to October. “It will be this year,” Harper wrote. When another fan added that Harper “likes the offseason more than the season atp” Harper answered, “This is true.”
That was enough for Rizzo and Ross to jump in with their own take on the grind of a long baseball year.
“The offseason is nice after a 162-game grind,” Ross said.
.@D_Ross3 and @ARizzo44 understood where Bryce Harper was coming from with his comments on the off-season pic.twitter.com/icGcGNg8Mw
— Ross and Rizzo Unfiltered (@RossAndRizzo) November 3, 2026
“The offseason is way better than the season, are you kidding me?” Rizzo said.
Ross also pointed to the value of time away from the field.
“You get that downtime that is so important to the mental and physical health of the players,” Ross said.
Rizzo, though, made clear that enjoying the break doesn’t mean the regular season loses its appeal.
“The season is now is the greatest thing ever,” Rizzo said. “I love playing baseball.
Love it. There's nothing I would have rather done during the year.”
Rizzo and Ross were both key members of the 2016 Chicago Cubs team that won the World Series.
The bigger issue behind Harper’s comment is the labor situation itself. The 2027 season depends on whether the MLB Players Association and the owners can come to terms on the salary cap. The owners want a salary floor, while the MLBPA is against a cap.
If there’s no agreement by Spring Training, the season could be in jeopardy.
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