The Phillies outfielder hints at playing overseas if season is delayed or canceled.
Bryce Harper traded out his Phillies threads for a photoshopped Yomiuri Giants jersey in his latest as Instagram story as the lockout continues and MLB closes in on a proposed deadline to start canceling regular season games.
Harper was one of many players that were active on social media Monday as the league and the union met in Florida to try and hash out a deal. Should the two sides not be able to reach an agreement soon, the Philadelphia outfielder sounds ready to take his talents overseas.
“Aye @yomiuri.giants you up? Got some time to kill,” Harper wrote on Instagram. ”I know you got [agent Scott Boras’s] number. Let’s talk.”
The Yomiuri Giants are a Tokyo-based club in Nippon Professional Baseball, home to the highest level of baseball in Japan. The league has produced talents such as Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and Shohei Ohtani and has become a popular destination for players from around the world.
If MLB’s lockout continues, players like Harper would be allowed to play in winter leagues, independent leagues, and professional leagues overseas. There would be a precedent to do so as many NHL players played overseas in Europe and Russia during the league’s work stoppage from 2004 to ’05.
The MLBPA also sent a work stoppage guide to player agents before the lockout saying that it would “challenge any attempts by MLB to interfere with players who choose to participate in a foreign league during a lockout,” according to Ken Rosenthal.
Whether Harper and others will actually choose to pursue opportunities in other professional leagues remains to be seen. Opening Day is still officially slated for March 31, even though MLB and the MLBPA have yet to reach an agreement.
However, if the two sides do not strike a deal by the end of Monday, the league has said that the start of the regular season will be delayed and that the teams will not play a full 162-game schedule. If that becomes the case, player movement could be something to watch in the coming weeks.
More Baseball Coverage: