Bryce Harper's sobering MLB lockout take provides Phillies fans tiny sliver of hope

As the ancient proverb says, "The best time to negotiate a CBA was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

With a Major League Baseball lockout for the 2027 season looming like grey clouds that will surely cause a rain delay, Philadelphia Phillies star first baseman Bryce Harper once again shared his thoughts on the negotiations when he sat down with Sports Radio 94 WIP Morning Show earlier this week.

It's no secret that baseball seems to be entering a renaissance, with interest beginning to grow around America's pastime. After years of being stuck in tradition, then succumbing to the game having to change, and now being in phase three, successfully implementing those changes, any type of "year without baseball" will completely derail whatever steam engine MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has added to the game.

According to Harper and 94 WIP, apparently, the negotiations between the MLB Players Association and the commissioner's office have not gone smoothly. When asked if he feels that 2027 Opening Day will happen on time, Harper had a simple response.

"No," Harper replied bluntly.

Harper has been vocal about his opinions with the commissioner's office throughout talks around the expiring collective bargaining agreement. Last season, he famously told Manfred to "get the f--- out" of the Phillies clubhouse if the commissioner wanted to come and propose the implementation of a salary cap.

Bryce Harper affirms positive outlook while sharing where he stands on current CBA negotiations

But, in typical WIP fashion, there had to be a follow-up question. Harper was asked whether he believes there will be a 2027 MLB season, and his reply resulted in a collective sigh among baseball fans everywhere, no matter the team you root for.

"Yes," Harper said about whether he thinks there will be some type of 2027 season. "I think for me personally, I want what's best for the game, for owners and players as well. Our game is at the peak of where we're at right now with so much talent. It's an international game right now … and I don't think we want to lose that, I don't think owners want to lose that, but we're at such a standstill right now … that it's going to be tough to figure things out in a three-month span."

Harper is referencing the inequity the commissioner's office has placed around the International Draft, with years of debating between the Major League Baseball Players Association and the league itself, with one of the most notable moves in recent years being the MLBPA rejecting the 2022 International Draft proposal, which has still shown itself time and time again in the four years since then.

"Manfred is going to do what's best for the owners," Harper said. "But also I think he wants to do what's right for the players as well, to a certain extent, and obviously, Bruce Meyer is pro-player. So I think both sides need to calm it down, hash it out, and get this thing done."

As a veteran presence now, Harper also mentioned how he wants to leave it better than he found it, as the players before him did while he was coming up. He finished his remarks by continuing with that theme while shining a light on the Phillies' future.

"I don't want to do it for the young guys if I'm not going to do it the right way," Harper said. "The stepping stone into what guys did for me to get me where I am. I think I owe that to the young guys in our game ... I owe it to them now, for the Aidan Millers and the Justin Crawfords, and just the guys that are going to be in this game for the next 20 years, I owe that to them now."