Boras proposes 162-game season with World Series on Christmas
Scott Boras has an idea for how Major League Baseball can play all 162 games in 2020, and the plan includes a World Series game on Christmas Day.
The super-agent submitted proposals to MLB for a 162-game season beginning June 1 and a 144-game season that would start July 1, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
"We have it all mapped out," Boras said. "It's workable. We've done climate studies, and in Southern California, the average temperature in December is 67 degrees, which is better than late March and early April in most cities. We have 11 stadiums we could play postseason games in. I'm gonna get my neutral-site World Series after all."
Under Boras' plan, wild-card games would take place Dec. 3, followed by the division series from Dec. 5-9, the league championship series Dec. 11-17, and the World Series from Dec. 19-26.
There would be no days off during the postseason, and the games would take place in Anaheim, Arizona, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, San Diego, Seattle, and Toronto, as well as St. Petersburg, Florida, and Arlington, Texas.
"All the players I'm talking to want to play all the games, and we can map this out," Boras explained. "We're just trying to let (MLB) know we have the ability to do it, that there's a logical way to do it. You have the facilities. You have the sites to do it. The difference is how the playoffs are run and where they're played."
Players are reportedly open to a number of ideas that would help avoid a significantly shortened season, including participating in multiple doubleheaders.
As far as where the World Series will be played, Boras is a strong advocate of a neutral site for at least some of the games so that fans and sponsors have months to plan for the event, similar to the Super Bowl.
"I think having a planned World Series at a designated site would be a tremendous economic gain for our industry," Boras said. "You could secure corporate sponsorships and have entertainment surrounding it. The Super Bowl has one game. Here, we can have five-to-seven days of festivities."