I think Kris Bryant is echoing what most, intelligent people are thinking – this season might not happen. As MLB and the MLBPA began negotiating the return, I felt like the scheduling And logistics of what they’re trying to accomplish would be hard. I thought the idea of taking a player off a roster because of COVID-19 would be hard. I thought the idea of hosting professional sports without 35% of the league’s revenue would make things more difficult.
What I didn’t think would be hard was the tests. That seemed to be the easiest thing to lock down.
But here we are, Monday, July 6th, and there have been multiple teams shutting workouts down because they aren’t getting test results. We have players whispering off record that they aren’t happy with the way things are going and some have even told others that teams aren’t following protocols to the “T”.
Monday morning, Kris Bryant spoke clearly and echoed what many have whispered. Things have to get better, “you can’t have hiccups like this.”
Bryant: "Its not a guarantee we're going to play or finish the season. Everyone kind of knows that."
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 6, 2020
Says he won't opt out but he's worried
Kris Bryant was tested last Tuesday then not again until yesterday: "I know there will be hiccups but you can't have hiccups with this."
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 6, 2020
Kris Bryant: "I wanted to play this year because I thought it would be safe. Honestly, I don’t really feel that."
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 6, 2020
This season has no guarantees on it. When you have guys like Freddie Freeman and Joey Gallo that have COVID-19 right now, and guys like Nick Markakis, David Price, Felix Hernandez, Wellington Castillo, among others opting out. Then the best player in the game, Mike Trout, talking about being unsure if playing is the right thing to do. The Cubs Anthony Rizzo had expressed concerns being a cancer survivor. If MLB cannot lock down a solid testing protocol -NOW – there’s little hope that they could manage doing tests while on the road or mid-series.
As it stands, there has only been one Cub (Kyle Ryan) – that I know of – who has been held out of workouts due to not receiving test results.
I have been fairly confident that a season will happen. With the schedule leaks this morning, and the full schedule being released on MLB Network Monday evening, I’m unsure if it will be needed any longer.
Hopefully this gets fixed, ASAP, but I don’t know if my personal confidence is good on this right now.
One bit of great news (which shouldn’t surprise anyone as he’s consistently said he wants an extension) Bryant added he would be even more open to a new deal with the baby and the virus uncertainties.
Listened back to it a few times to be sure…Bryant was asked, considering what's gone on — including having a baby — if he'd be 'more open to an extension than he may have been before':
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 6, 2020
“I would say ‘yeah.’
