Once again, a story has cropped up about possible collusion by MLB teams to prevent Barry Bonds from being signed. You’ve got Bonds’ agent going on and on about how Barry’s numbers in 2007 should make him desireable to EVERY team out there, especially since he’s willing to play for the bare minimum salary (or less!), and so there must be something underhanded going on since no one is showing any interest.
Again, I’m no expert, but it seems to me that the trade-off for Bonds’ potential numbers is a lot of potential grief (in the clubhouse and from the fans), and it makes sense that no one in particular is looking to disrupt their organization by having him on the squad. But maybe you baseball minds think differently. Are there teams out there hurting badly enough for offense and/or ticket revenue that they ought to be seriously considering signing him?
Alluding to silenus’ recent thread, if you were at the helm of your favorite team, would you make room for him?
Not in a million years. Too much trouble, way too much distraction, no guarantee he will be healthy and play well, having missed half the season already, and he’s also an enormous cheat.
I should mention that there are only 29 teams in contention for him anyway. The Dodgers are clearly a special case. There isn’t a Dodger fan on the planet who wants to see Bonds in that uniform, and I can guarantee you every single member of management would be run out of town if they even attempted to sign him (assuming they weren’t lynched first).
But the rest of you, please carry on the discussion.
It would only be an AL team.
What AL team needs a DH? It would probably have to be a larger market team that is in contention. A larger market team would be more able to handle the media circus.
If Boston suffers another injury, could they possibly be a potential team?
I wouldn’t sign him. I’d try to get Ken Griffey, Jr. instead if I needed a DH.
To answer the question in the OP, I don’t see the D-Backs or the A’s signing him. D-backs can’t use him. Heck, they’ve got Owings who can pinch hit! The A’s have too many outfielders plus Frank Thomas when he comes back.
Heh. As it happens, I’m actually going to Toronto, Ontario, in a few weeks. I’m seeing three Blue Jays games while I’m there; I’d love it if they signed Barry Bonds before then, because that would be some entertainment.
During the off-season, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa mused publicly that the Cardinals would be formidable with Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols back-to-back in the batting order. Cardinals management fell all over itself getting out an immediate statement saying that the organization had no interest in signing Bonds.
Tampa Bay? Would Bonds really help? You’ve got a good young team and they’re finally getting some attention. Do they really want the media circus and all the talk to be Bonds and steriods? If they suffer some injuries, I might see it.
Toronto? That might actually be the one place it might work. I’m not sure how the criminal charges would affect Bonds going in and out of Canada. If the Jays don’t do something very soon, they will find themselves out of it by August.
Last year, playing the outfield on a team with no other offensive threats anywhere in the lineup, Barry Bonds produced an OPS+ of 170, and got on base in nearly half his at bats. The Rays have used two players - Johnny Gomes and Cliff Floyd - for the bulk of their DH at bats this year, with a combined OBP of .330. Replacing two players who collectively hit the league average with a guy who could suffer a 10% drop in production and still be one of the best hitters in the league would almost certainly be worth three to four wins, conservatively, which might mean the difference between third place and the wild-card. (Especially since Floyd and Gomes could take at bats away from Gabe Gross, who is not a good hitter for a corner outfielder).
He would help them tremendously. The Rays have stayed in contention longer than some (including me) would have predicted, but their lineup is not going to compete with the Yankees or Red Sox lineups down the stretch; a bat like that would be worth all the agita in the world for a team that’s never even sniffed the playoffs.
But ask hawkeyeop: he figured this out four months ago.
You forgot (4) Don’t want to sign a world class douche; (5) Have no desire to destroy fan goodwill; (6) BONDS IS A DOUCHE.
He would destroy them. The Rays are building a TEAM. They are taking flyers on guys with promise, signing them to long-term deals so that they can build from a nucleus of young players who know and trust each other and play well together based on ability AND chemistry.
Throwing Bonds into that mix, with his sense of entitlement, his selfish attitude, his exclusionary nature, his unwillingness to be a teammate, and his complete willingness to blame the fallout from his perpetual douchebaggery on anyone but himself, would ruin that. The 2008 Rays would become the 1991-1993 Mets overnight.
He has been out too long. He is old. Can he hit now.? That is the question. Sometimes last season is a long time ago.
If I were running a team with poor attendance ,I would take a shot. But you could not pay a lot.
