Whit Merrifield's Late-Night Tweet Should Make MLB Fans Optimistic for Once

Major League Baseball owners and players have spent months going back and forth about starting the 2020 season. The public battle has not been pretty and it is easy for any fan to give up hope about seeing games played this summer.

Several players have come out and actually shared some optimism to give fans something to be happy about when it comes to baseball. Kansas City Royals veteran Whit Merrifield is the latest to do so with a tweet late Saturday night.

I can. Baseball is coming back. That’s a fact. And it’s such a beautiful game. While the business of it may suck sometimes, that doesn’t take away from the beauty of the game we love and miss. “Distance makes the heart grow fonder.” https://t.co/FfY8RpQCCG
— Whit Merrifield (@WhitMerrifield) June 14, 2020

"Baseball is coming back." That is a sentence fans can point to as evidence that some sort of season will be played. Does Merrifield represent all the players? No, but he is one of the more prominent voices on the Royals and has been talking about his desire to play during this negotiation process.

Took us less than 48 hours to respond with a fair, sensible, compromised proposal. Because we want to play. Now. https://t.co/QbkQ9YpbHf
— Whit Merrifield (@WhitMerrifield) June 10, 2020

It is still possible certain players decide to sit out a shortened 2020 season. Merrifield appears ready to play and his optimism at least provides a ray of positivity during what has been one of the uglier labor battles in recent sports history.