Expect Bonds to sign with M's or Tigers
Seattle, Detroit are most logical fit for slugger — if they're contending
 Denis Poroy / AP file All-time home run champion Barry Bonds is still looking for a team as he awaits trial on a grand jury indictment for perjury. |
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For the first time since 1986, home run king Barry Bonds is not on a major league roster. That will change, however. Look for Bonds to show up mid-summer playing for an American League contender.
A federal judge's recent order that prosecutors re-structure indictments of Bonds, who is facing charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, cleared the way. It means the case will drag on well beyond this season, giving a contender that needs one more bat the opening it needs to pursue Bonds.
Despite Bonds' baggage and surly personality, he appeals to baseball-first decision makers. For the second consecutive offseason, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa pushed his general manager and owner to consider Bonds. The Tampa Bay Rays had serious internal conversations about the possibility.
It makes sense. Even at the advanced age of 43, Bonds remains an offensive force.
With the San Francisco Giants last season, Bonds led National Leaguers with at least 300 at-bats in on-base percentage at .480 and on-base plus slugging percentage at 1.045, and he placed eighth in slugging percentage. Only four other NL players had an OPS of 1.000-plus: the Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones, the Milwaukee Brewers' Prince Fielder, the Colorado Rockies' Matt Holliday and the Brewers' Ryan Braun.
According to agent Jeff Borris, Bonds is working out regularly in the Los Angeles area and is doing everything necessary to play other than facing live pitching. Hitters usually need about three weeks of spring-training prep before a season.
There is no chance of Bonds rejoining San Francisco, his club for the previous 15 seasons. For years, the Giants marketed themselves as Bonds' team, splashing his likeness throughout AT&T Park. Now, it is as if Bonds never played for the team. The Giants are so glad to be out from under his prickly presence that they have erased all in-park traces of Bonds.
That said, opponents still respect Bonds. His absence from the Giants' lineup already is notable.
"Knowing he's not in the lineup, it's a different mentality because that bat, the challenges that come with it," Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "If you're going to pitch to him, what kind of plan do you set up to pitch to him? If you're not going to pitch to him, you want to make sure everybody's on the same page.
"So those (decisions) aren't there anymore. That's not a bad thing."
A narrow subset of teams qualifies as potential landing spots for Bonds.
It makes no sense for a non-contender such as Tampa Bay to add Bonds for one season. He likely wouldn't consider that route unless it was the only way to get the 65 hits needed for 3,000 in his career.
A National League contender would have to be in dire straits. Bonds clogs the bases and is a defensive liability in left field. Contenders cannot afford to give away outs and bases through poor defense.
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