bonds to play in japan?

[flosses like fossas]

rotoworld is reporting that barry bonds is considering playing in japan. who does this guy think he his? (i'm thinking of someone....he has a mustache...)

 

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e34/johnpaulmurn/mrbaseball.jpg

[endaround]

There is no way that he would be allowed to leave the country any time soon so my guess is someone is making stuff up again

[Tisko]

he'll probably land with some team after all this perjury mess is cleaned up or until teams realize that he won't be thrown into jail until after the season.

[crewcrazy]

This is probably better suited for the rumor forum, but word is that Bonds' agent has been having meetings with the owner of the Tampa Bay Rays. It's not out of the realm of possibility if Bonds will settle for something like 1 year for $7 or 8 million -- it'll add a ton of OBP to the Rays' lineup, they'll be paying an extremely discounted price, he'll put butts in the seats, and they could possibly trade him at the deadline to a contender if they wanted to.

 

I don't think the connection to PEDs scares the Rays much, since it seems like almost every team has a guy connected to PEDs after the Mitchell Report came out. The possibility of him serving jailtime could be a concern, but if you're only paying him $8 million for one year it's less of a concern than if you're paying him $20 million.

[GAME05]

playing for the Rays makes a ton of sense. he'd be an attraction at the gate, and it's not like if he misses a ton of time this season it's going to hurt their playoff chances or anything.

 

although $8 million seems high. the Rays could offer $20 bucks and they'd probably still be outbidding everyone. Japan has to just be a ploy to try to increase his interest from MLB teams.

[TooLiveBrew]

word is that Bonds' agent has been having meetings with the owner of the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

I agree with GAME here - Bonds to TB makes so much sense to me. Besides, even if they signed him to a deal, wouldn't language voiding the contract if any jail time were issued be a no-brainer (& something Bonds couldn't realistically fight)?

[mothershipconnection]

He'd be a no-brainer for either florida team with zero fans and little hope of a division title if he came cheaply. What, are those 19 Rays fans gonna be alienated by having a roider on their team and not pay to go watch the team in their junk stadium? The freakshow would put more butts in the seats than what they've passed off as a legit product.

[TooLiveBrew]

Plus, adding Bonds as DH-only could be good for 2-4 wins... for a team projected to be around .500, you never know what that could mean. Sure, it's way more likely that Det./Cle. or NYY/Bos. come away with the WC at around 90 wins, but you never know in baseball. Some good luck for TB, and some bad luck for the aforementioned four (yes, I know - very unlikely), and you're talking playoffs in TB. Especially when you consider that it'd only be a one-yr. commitment to Bonds for relatively minuscule salary... smart move.

[ozzybourne]

bonds to tampa is the only way out. eastern tv. up and coming team. eastern tv. yankees, red sox, eastern tv. if this happens, and barry has no positive results, wow--what a match made in heaven.

[Invader3K]

Yeah, I think this could make sense for the Rays if it happens.

[patrickgpe]

i don't think japan is an option. he is only playing for 3000 hits since he has made more than enough money in his career. if he is not going to japan for a cash grab, there is no reason to go when the stats he doesn't doesn't count towards his mlb career totals.

[Thurston Fluff]

I heard the D-rays rumor as well. It makes sense for both sides if his being there isn't preventing a young player from getting the playing time he needs. I don't know Tampa's roster well enough to know if that is the caseor not.

[Tbadder]

Last night I was listening to XM Radio. Mike (I think that's his first name) Bloom from MLB.com thinks that Bonds won't be playing this year anywhere unless he gets a very quick release from the charges against him.

 

I love the guy, but he's a pariah, and I think retirement is just the ticket. I can't see how the 3000 hits is gonna help him. I can't imagine him ever getting into the HOF given the current situation. Without the collective forgiveness of voters or the culture as a whole I think Clemens, Bonds, Palmiero, and Big Mac are doomed.

[Invader3K]

Exactly. I mean, if being the all time Home Run King isn't enough to get in, than what is? A few more hits aren't going to matter with everything else he accomplished in his career. Bonds is going to be in the same boat as Pete Rose, basically.

[CportBadger]

The Rays would make sense. ESPN's depth chart currently has Cliff Floyd as their DH.

[crewcrazy]

The only problem I could see with Tampa getting Bonds is that they already have a few guys who could be designated as "DH-only" -- Floyd, Jonny Gomes, etc. It'd be hard to find enough ABs to go around, so they'd probably have to deal someone to make it fit.