Cubs' Rizzo would take pay cut to shorten schedule: 'We play too much'

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo believes it's time for baseball to move away from the 162-game schedule. He'd even be willing to leave some money on the table to make it happen.

"I think we play too much baseball," Rizzo told ESPN Radio 1000 on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "Yes, guys are going to take pay cuts. But are we playing this game for the money or do we love this game? I know it's both, but in the long run it will make everything better."

Baseball's schedule, as well as the length of its season, has become something of a talking point this week after a rash of weather-related postponements. Twenty-four games this month have been rescheduled thanks to inclement weather, with some makeup games even being pushed to June.

The new collective bargaining agreement took a step to help massage the toll that playing 162 games can take on players. Beginning this season, the 162-game schedule will be played over a 187-day period instead of 183 days - a move that added several additional off days to the six-month schedule.

Rizzo is particularly concerned about having teams play in April weather that's less than ideal for baseball, especially after watching his Cubs battle the Atlanta Braves in subfreezing weather Saturday - a game that left both teams angry at having to risk injury playing in those conditions. While he didn't have an ideal number of games in mind for his shortened schedule, the 28-year-old All-Star did pitch one idea that he thinks could help MLB avoid playing early-season games in brutal weather conditions going forward.

"In a perfect world, we'd start the season later and play a few scheduled doubleheaders going into an off day," he said. "As a fan, you're going to a baseball game in April, and it's raining, snowing, and (with) freezing rain. Is it really that much fun? That's my question."