Mike Celizic

If I’m a fan, I probably don’t care if Barry Bonds ever plays again. I may even hope he doesn’t. And if I’m Bud Selig, I definitely don’t want to have to deal with the negative publicity he’d bring to the game if he pulls on a uniform this year. But if I’m the general manager of an American League team that thinks it could contend if only it had a little extra pop at DH, I’ve got to look at him.

That’s why the mystery of the spring so far is why no one is taking a chance on one of the most productive hitters in the history of the game. Running a baseball team isn’t about who you like and who you don’t like. It’s about winning games and competing for titles. If Bonds can help you do that, you have to give him a look.

He had a .480 on-base percentage last year and slugged .565. In 126 games, he scored 75 runs and drove in 66 with 28 home runs. His batting average was down - .276 – but those are awfully good numbers.

Plus, you could probably get him at a relative bargain. Bonds desperately wants to play this year for just one very good reason: he needs 65 hits to join the 3,000-hit club. It would be the capstone to his stat line, and he wants it. If you could get him for, say, $8 million, why wouldn’t you?

So far, general managers have found reasons not to, but you have to think that will change, if not in spring training then at least in the early part of the season when teams see what they have and what they need to contend.

Granted, it’s a limited market for Bonds. Maybe a year or two ago, when he was still chasing Hank Aaron’s home run record, a team not going anywhere could have justified trying to get him simply to fill some of the empty seats at home games. But he’s got the record, which most fans don’t think is legitimate, and there’s no reason to buy a ticket to see him draw walks somewhere like Tampa, Kansas City or Texas.

And most of the AL’s top teams are happy with what they have. The Yankees and Red Sox don’t want him; they’ve got plenty of offense, and Bonds doesn’t fit in with either team’s idea of itself. Cleveland’s got Travis Haffner at DH, the White Sox have Jim Thome and the Tigers have Gary Sheffield, so they’re set.

Out West, the Angels could use him, but they’ve also got four starting outfielders – Gary Matthews, Jr., Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson – one of whom will end up as DH by default. Unless they move an outfielder, the Angels will probably sit tight with what they have.

Slide show   Signs of spring The defending champs limber up, Johan Santana greets his new fans and kids get in on the fun as baseball teams reported for spring training. more photos

But what about Seattle and Baltimore? Neither has shown any interest in Bonds, but both teams have playoff hopes and both could use him. Who would you rather have in Seattle holding down DH duties, Bonds or Jose Vidro? In Baltimore, the choice would be the incumbent, Aubrey Huff, or Bonds. Who would you take?

And there’s that mystery again. Why aren’t either of these teams looking at Bonds?