On Wednesday morning, legendary baseball agent Scott Boras did a very Scott Boras thing – he suggested that Major League Baseball could – and should – play a full 162-game schedule when baseball resumes following the coronavirus pandemic shutdown and should, of all things, have a Christmas World Series.

No really, he did.

In an exclusive interview with LA Times writer Mike DiGiovanna, the man often referred to as “The Baseball Antichrist” said that he has it all worked out.

“We have it all mapped out,” Boras told DiGiovanna. “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.

“All the players I’m talking to want to play all the games, and we can map this out,” Boras added. “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.” 

Boras has long advocated a neutral site for the World Series to enhance the business aspect of the event, as does the NFL with its annual 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.”

Although Boras’ proposed Yuletide World Series sounds intriguing, it may have already been shot down before it even got off the ground. On Wednesday evening, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt: “…we’re probably not gonna be able to do [a 162-game season], I think that’s clear.”

Manfred did, however, maintain his optimism the baseball will be back.

“The one thing I know for sure is baseball will be back,” he said. “Whenever it’s safe to play, we’ll be back. Our fans will be back, our players will be back, and we will be part of the recovery, the healing in this country, from this particular pandemic.

“Look, my optimistic outlook is that at some point in May, we’ll be gearing back up,” Manfred added. “We’ll have to make a determination, depending what the precise date is, as to how much of a preparation period we need, whether that preparation period is gonna be done in the clubs’ home cities or back in Florida and Arizona. Again, I think the goal would be to get as many regular-season games as possible and think creatively about how we can accomplish that goal.”

It seems that Boras’ Christmas proposal is about as creative as it gets, wouldn’t you say?

Merry Christmas, baseball fans!

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