ATLANTA, GA

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher, Jimmy Harris, only plans to play baseball for three more seasons. “I’m done after the 2012 season. I think we all are.”

Harris is one of a growing number of professional athletes who believe that the world will end on December 21, 2012 to coincide with the end of the Mayan calendar. However, he is the first to try and cash in on it.

Harris signed a 6-year, $45 million dollar deal on Tuesday, while many inside baseball thought the hard-throwing southpaw could garner between $8 and $12 million a year. Harris took a Doomsday Discount in order to get paid his entire contract before December 2012.

If the world does not end, Harris will essentially play the next three years of his contract for free. It’s a gamble but if Harris is right he will be getting paid 15 million a season as opposed to 7.5 Million if he is wrong. “What’s the point of making 60 million if you’re only going to see half that?” said Harris.

An anonymous source inside baseball understands Harris’ decision and thinks it is only the beginning.

“I don’t suspect this will be the last of these kinds of contracts. Players like guaranteed money. There is no guarantee that we will even be here in 2013, so why not get paid now?”

Harris made 70 appearances last year with a 0.79 ERA and 94 strikeouts while saving 56 games.