Wow! This sounds a very plausible sequence of events. Hold out the hearing (hopefully) until the Tour ends, then probably plead negligence and negotiate a 8-9 month ban – which would make him only miss Vuelta/ WC, which he wouldnt have attempted anyway, and be back early 2019 to fight for the Tour/ Giro (whatever he wishes) again.
By then, if he has ‘won’ the Giro OR Giro+Tour, he would have Won all GTs OR won his 5 TdF, good enough point in time for him to even retire completely of the sport (incase he lands a 2 year ban).
Another theory circulating on The Cycling Podcast (actually floated by one of the listeners) was that Froome, who has been riding crazy miles in South Africa is trying to simulate riding a Grand Tour to mimic the condition his body was in September, to reproduce the PK testing. His mileage for the prev 2-3 weeks was apparently very close to his actual mileage in Vuelta.