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Barry Bonds

Rays Considering Bonds, Piazza, Lofton

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12:28pm: Andrew Friedman denies it, calling the Bonds rumor a "non-story."  They never even had a harmless internal conversation about Bonds, then?

11:27am: Japan is a legitimate possibility for Barry Bonds, but he may not have exhausted his MLB options just yet.  Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays have had internal discussions about signing Bonds (hat tip DRays Bay).  At some point, one of the 30 teams is going to acknowledge that Bonds adds wins.  Most fans have proven that they care more about wins than steroid use.

Other considerations for the Rays include Mike Piazza and Kenny Lofton.  In the case of all three players, the Rays would have a logjam on their hands.   But the chance to do some bargain shopping could prove irresistible.

Bonds’ Agent: Japan Is An Option

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Barry Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris, told Metro News in Canada that Bonds intends to play in 2008 and that Japan is a very real possibility.

“He’s not retiring,” Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris, told Metro yesterday. “He intends to play somewhere. If a door doesn’t open for Barry in the major leagues, as unbelievable as that possibility sounds, then Japan certainly is an option.”

Currently, Borris is in Florida  driving from camp to camp trying to convince GMs  to sign Bonds. As we get closer and closer to the regular season, whispers will start turning into shouts involving the B-word: Blackballed.

By Cork Gaines

La Russa Suggested Bonds

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Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Cardinals manager once again suggested the team consider signing Barry Bonds this winter.  GM John Mozeliak and company decided to pass on the idea.  They’ve already brought in Juan Gonzalez as an aging wild card slugger, anyway.

A St. Louis talk show host, Kevin Slaten, recently started a feud with La Russa over the manager’s steroid connections and his unwillingness to discuss them.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Barry Bonds

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He has 762 home runs and 7 MVPs. In 2007, he hit 28 home runs in only 126 games and posted a 170 OPS+, which would have led the NL if he had not come up 27 plate appearances short of qualifying. Still, Barry Bonds is without a job for 2008. Some would argue it is because he is 43 years and has bad knees that limit him to DH duty. Others would say it is because he is an unwanted distraction. Some are even beginning to whisper that Bonds is being blackballed by baseball…The Cardinals and the A’s have been linked to Bonds. The Padres were rumored to be in the mix, but publicly have said they are not interested. Marc Topkin wondered if the Rays would be interested, which seems unlikely as the Rays just traded Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young in part because they were headaches. The latest rumor has Bonds possibly playing in Japan in 2008. Could the enticement of setting another home run record convince Bonds to head to the land of the rising sun? With camps in full-swing and Bonds recliner still without a home, let’s take a look at what is being said about Bonds in the Blogosphere…If you think there is a team that is the perfect fit for Bonds in 2008 let us know in the comments.

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

  • Giants Cove is willing to admit that the Giants chemistry will be better in 2008, but there is one glaring problem with the new found chemistry. The Giants cleanup hitter will be Bengie Molina.
  • Athletics Nation notes that signing Bonds would be a smart business decision for the A’s.
  • Catfish Stew wonders if A’s fans will be just as hard on Jack Cust, who was named in the Mitchell Report as they say they will be on Bonds if he signs with Oakland.
  • Yankees Chick finds it curious that so many Yankees fans are clamoring for the Bombers to sign Bonds.
  • Rays of Light notes that baggage aside, DH is already crowded for the Rays with Cliff Floyd, Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli sharing at bats.
  • Metstradamus feels that the chances of the Mets signing Bonds to play the outfield are about 2,000,000 to 1.
  • Gaslamp Ball is not surprised the Padres passed on Bonds, noting that San Diego is where the giant syringe was thrown at Bonds during a game.
  • Babes Love Baseball can’t understand why Bonds is without a job, but they understand he comes with a bit of a circus and the occasional ’booing’.

By Cork Gaines

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Barry Bonds

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He has 762 home runs and 7 MVPs. In 2007, he hit 28 home runs in only 126 games and posted a 170 OPS+, which would have led the NL if he had not come up 27 plate appearances short of qualifying. Still, Barry Bonds is without a job for 2008. Some would argue it is because he is 43 years and has bad knees that limit him to DH duty. Others would say it is because he is an unwanted distraction. Some are even beginning to whisper that Bonds is being blackballed by baseball…The Cardinals and the A’s have been linked to Bonds. The Padres were rumored to be in the mix, but publicly have said they are not interested. Marc Topkin wondered if the Rays would be interested, which seems unlikely as the Rays just traded Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young in part because they were headaches. The latest rumor has Bonds possibly playing in Japan in 2008. Could the enticement of setting another home run record convince Bonds to head to the land of the rising sun? With camps in full-swing and Bonds recliner still without a home, let’s take a look at what is being said about Bonds in the Blogosphere…If you think there is a team that is the perfect fit for Bonds in 2008 let us know in the comments.

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

  • Giants Cove is willing to admit that the Giants chemistry will be better in 2008, but there is one glaring problem with the new found chemistry. The Giants cleanup hitter will be Benjie Molina.
  • Athletics Nation notes that signing Bonds would be a smart business decision for the A’s.
  • Catfish Stew wonders if A’s fans will be just as hard on Jack Cust, who was named in the Mitchell Report as they say they will be on Bonds if he signs with Oakland.
  • Yankees Chick finds it curious that so many Yankees fans are clamoring for the Bombers to sign Bonds.
  • Rays of Light notes that baggage aside, DH is already crowded for the Rays with Cliff Floyd, Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli sharing at bats.
  • Metstradamus feels that the chances of the Mets signing Bonds to play the outfield are about 2,000,000 to 1.
  • Gaslamp Ball
    is not surprised the Padres passed on Bonds, noting that San Diego is
    where the giant syringe was thrown at Bonds during a game.
  • Babes Love Baseball can’t understand why Bonds is without a job, but they understand he comes with a bit of a circus and the occasional ’booing’.

By Cork Gaines

Odds and Ends: Papelbon, Bonds

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Your collection of links and rumors…

  • Interestingly, Pirates GM Neal Huntington put out a statement for Pirates’ fans.  He explains why the Pirates have been inactive this winter, and I agree with the logic.  This team doesn’t need to be wasting money on mediocre free agents.
  • Justin Huber is out of options, so he’ll either make the Royals or end up elsewhere.
  • Athletics Nation paints a picture in which the A’s are buyers at this year’s trade deadline.  A parallel universe with a healthy Rich Harden, if you will.
  • The Red Sox are exploring a multiyear deal for Jonathan Papelbon, according to Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe.
  • With 20/20 hindsight, Viva El Birdos rewrites how they might have conducted the Cardinals’ offseason moves.
  • No one wants Barry Bonds.  He’s in game shape, but one exec Andrew Baggarly talked to has heard no rumors at all.  Baggarly has talked to some baseball officials who believe Bonds might play in Japan in 2008.  Now that would be something.

Slusser On Barry Bonds Possibilities

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We recently named Susan Slusser Rumor Royalty for the A’s.  She is the team’s beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle.  As part of the feature she answered a few questions for us.

MLBTR: Could you see any team beside the A’s signing Barry Bonds?  In your estimation, what’s the most the A’s would pay for a year of Bonds

Slusser: An insider told me at the winter meetings that two other teams besides the A’s had asked about Bonds, so it’s impossible to rule out. If he plays – and that seems to be a pretty big if — Oakland has the best shot, but estimating a salary is really tough. If there’s no other interest and Bonds really wants to play, considering all the issues that surround him, the price tag could be pretty cheap, say $5-$6 million. If there’s more interest, it could go up. The A’s did pay Mike Piazza $8 million last year.

Do the A’s really want Bonds, though? There are good reasons to sign him, and equally solid reasons not to. They need to put fans in the seats after moving their most popular player, and they don’t have much in the middle of the order right now. On the other hand, they might alienate much of their fan base with Bonds, and a team that is in "full bore” rebuilding mode might not be looking to spend on a 43-year-old free agent with lots of legal problems and an iffy clubhouse reputation. There is no doubt it has been discussed internally, however.

What’s Next For Oakland?

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What’s Billy Beane’s next move?  He’s already traded his team’s best pitcher and one of his better hitters.  Let’s start with a couple of additional moves brought up by Susan Slusser.

Trade Eric Chavez.  Chavez expects to go, and he was refreshingly candid in his comments.  His contract runs through 2010, and he’s willing to waive his no-trade rights.  He’s had three surgeries this winter, so he has to prove his health before anyone acquires him.  A big first half would go a long way.

Sign Barry Bonds.  Such a move wouldn’t surprise Chavez.  Slusser believes a bargain Bonds chasing 3,000 hits and extending his home run record could be a way to get fans in the park despite a noncompetitive 2008 team.  For $8-10MM, I could see it. 

Other possibilities outside of the two mentioned by Slusser:

Trade Mark Kotsay.  He makes $8MM in ’08 and only managed 56 games last year.  Maybe the Braves would take him on in exchange for a nonprospect, if the A’s kick in $3MM.

Trade Mark Ellis.  He’s signed at $5MM for ’08, plays Gold Glove second base defense, and is an above average hitter for his position.  Too bad for the White Sox he didn’t get thrown in as part of the Swisher trade.  Outside of the Rockies I don’t see many fits for Ellis.

Trade Rich Harden.  Since he has a reasonable $7MM option for 2009, Harden is similar to Chavez and Kotsay in that it makes sense to wait to see if he can build a little value before trading him.

Trade Joe Blanton.  I’d be surprised if this doesn’t happen, with Beane adding three or four more of some team’s top ten prospects.

Trade Huston Street.  Why not?  He’s got three years of service time left, so he should draw a better bounty than Jose Valverde did.  Perhaps Beane can focus on acquiring a good young middle infielder here.

Vets like Bobby Crosby, Alan Embree, and Justin Duchscherer probably shouldn’t get too comfortable either.

Padres Rumors: Iguchi, Eckstein, Barrett, Bonds

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Aside from the aforementioned Fukudome stuff, Tom Krasovic has some trade rumors to discuss in today’s article.

  • It seems the Padres and Rockies are the main competitors for Tadahito Iguchi.  The Pads wouldn’t mind getting Matt Antonelli more seasoning at Triple A.  Meanwhile the Rockies are offering Iguchi two years.  The Padres also like the idea of getting David Eckstein on a one-year deal, not something he’s expecting to go for.
  • The Pirates still like Michael Barrett, but expect him to require little in the way of players. 
  • While the Padres recently met with Barry Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris, the team’s CEO said point-blank that they have no interest in him.  It might’ve been a less interesting Borris client such as Jeff Cirillo, Tony Graffanino, or Jay Witasick.
  • The Padres haven’t been in touch with Aaron Rowand’s people.  They seem in agreement on two years for Mike Cameron, but they disagree on the dollars.

Odds And Ends: Inge, Gagne, Pavano

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Couple of findings around the Internets:

  • Drew Sharp argues that Brandon Inge should stay with the Tigers. His argument is that Inge would still get 300 or so at bats and would be playing for a surefire contender. If he was to be traded, he likely wouldn’t land with a team nearly as good. Plus, with some of the injury histories of current Tigers, it might be best for Inge to wait around for playing time.
  • Though the Rangers were interested in Eric Gagne, they were only $6 million interested. For a one-year deal with an option, there was little chance of that happening. Gagne likely would have sooner accepted the Red Sox arbitration offer.
  • Carl Pavano will accept a minor league assignment after the Yankees release him this week. They need 40-man roster spots for Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera. They’ve already released Bronson Sardinha to make room for Andy Pettitte.
  • Monte Pool dislikes the idea of the A’s signing Barry Bonds. He mentions what you’d expect: The trial, his health, and the money.

–Joe

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