Bad News Barry: Will Bonds find a home in 2007?
Originally published on The Bleacher Report
A number of news sources have reported that Barry Bonds made a surprise appearance at the baseball winter meetings today. The reason that it is such a shock is that generally players of Bonds’ caliber only show up if a major deal is being announced, but Bonds is there presumably to court an employer, for he has yet to sign a contract for the upcoming season. Intent on breaking the home run record, he is 22 shy, he needs a home, and if in-person meetings are the way to do it, so be it. Many reports have speculated that Bonds’ agent may be exaggerating both the number of teams interested in Bonds, and those teams’ level of interest.
Though it is hard to imagine a situation in which Bonds will be without a team to play on, the tepid response of teams to his availability is one way in which baseball seems to be making a statement about the high profile players of the steroid era.
It’s hard to think about Bonds’ current predicament without seeing flashes of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Though he continues to avoid the spotlight, McGwire’s name has been all over the place recently as being the first steroid-era superstar to be listed on the Hall of Fame ballot. Many argue that he should not be allowed in the Hall of Fame because his biggest accomplishment, breaking Roger Maris’ home run record, is tarnished due to accusations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. The counter argument is that the Hall of Fame documents the history and biggest names in baseball, good and bad, and that his pursuit of the record brought the sport back to life. He was the kind of star player, many contest, that rejuvenated the national pastime, and for that, he should be immortalized in Cooperstown.
Bonds, likely to be nominated as well, is on the verge of a record of his own and he too is one of the most well known players of his era. Signing Bonds would seem like a gift to any team; a big name player to attract more fans, the opportunity to be the team for whom he sets the record, enhanced publicity and a power hitter sure to make each at-bat exciting. So why doesn’t anyone want him?
Maybe Bonds is the new Sammy Sosa. Maybe teams are learning from the mistake that the Baltimore Orioles made when they signed Sosa for 2005. In that season he was expected to be a power hitter and to bring back baseball to a town that hadn’t had a contender since the mid-90’s. Instead of living up to his potential, Sosa finished with a batting average of .221 and only 14 home runs. It was his worst season in more than ten years and though he claims to be healthy and ready to play again, he is not high up on anyone’s off-season wish list.
Bonds isn’t the only big name visitor at the winter meetings this year. Cal Ripken Jr., the hero of the Baltimore Orioles, also on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, was there to market his new turf company. When asked about the Hall of Fame controversy, Ripken replied, "I understand the interest, I understand the debate that's going on right now," he said. "I personally don't want to be drawn into that. I don't feel comfortable judging anyone in that particular debate. I'm not qualified."
There is little doubt that Ripken will be voted in, mostly due to the record he set for consecutive games played, at 2,632, breaking Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130. There are those that argue that Ripken did not have the kind of career numbers that McGwire did, and what has evolved is a debate over what makes a player worthy of the Hall of Fame. Is a major personal accomplishment enough? Should overall stats play a more crucial role? Should a player’s leadership role and reputation be factored in?
It is worth noting that Bonds has other strikes against him—he is likely to be expensive and he is injury prone—but so is J.D. Drew, and he just signed a $50 million contract with the Red Sox. Plenty of teams are going to sign players with questionable durability and take risks with their rosters and their checkbooks.
There’s never been any doubt that Bonds is a great baseball player, just like no one is doubting McGwire’s skill; even if he did take steroids, he still had to hit seventy pitches over the fence. Perhaps what is being said though is that talent and stature alone are not enough. Maybe it’s not enough that he is on his way to breaking a major baseball record, and maybe teams just don’t want to court controversial players anymore. After a good season and a playoff run in 2006, Bonds’ current lack of employment may be an indication that in free agents teams are looking for both a particular kind of player who is also a particular kind of person.
A number of news sources have reported that Barry Bonds made a surprise appearance at the baseball winter meetings today. The reason that it is such a shock is that generally players of Bonds’ caliber only show up if a major deal is being announced, but Bonds is there presumably to court an employer, for he has yet to sign a contract for the upcoming season. Intent on breaking the home run record, he is 22 shy, he needs a home, and if in-person meetings are the way to do it, so be it. Many reports have speculated that Bonds’ agent may be exaggerating both the number of teams interested in Bonds, and those teams’ level of interest.
Though it is hard to imagine a situation in which Bonds will be without a team to play on, the tepid response of teams to his availability is one way in which baseball seems to be making a statement about the high profile players of the steroid era.
It’s hard to think about Bonds’ current predicament without seeing flashes of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Though he continues to avoid the spotlight, McGwire’s name has been all over the place recently as being the first steroid-era superstar to be listed on the Hall of Fame ballot. Many argue that he should not be allowed in the Hall of Fame because his biggest accomplishment, breaking Roger Maris’ home run record, is tarnished due to accusations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. The counter argument is that the Hall of Fame documents the history and biggest names in baseball, good and bad, and that his pursuit of the record brought the sport back to life. He was the kind of star player, many contest, that rejuvenated the national pastime, and for that, he should be immortalized in Cooperstown.
Bonds, likely to be nominated as well, is on the verge of a record of his own and he too is one of the most well known players of his era. Signing Bonds would seem like a gift to any team; a big name player to attract more fans, the opportunity to be the team for whom he sets the record, enhanced publicity and a power hitter sure to make each at-bat exciting. So why doesn’t anyone want him?
Maybe Bonds is the new Sammy Sosa. Maybe teams are learning from the mistake that the Baltimore Orioles made when they signed Sosa for 2005. In that season he was expected to be a power hitter and to bring back baseball to a town that hadn’t had a contender since the mid-90’s. Instead of living up to his potential, Sosa finished with a batting average of .221 and only 14 home runs. It was his worst season in more than ten years and though he claims to be healthy and ready to play again, he is not high up on anyone’s off-season wish list.
Bonds isn’t the only big name visitor at the winter meetings this year. Cal Ripken Jr., the hero of the Baltimore Orioles, also on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, was there to market his new turf company. When asked about the Hall of Fame controversy, Ripken replied, "I understand the interest, I understand the debate that's going on right now," he said. "I personally don't want to be drawn into that. I don't feel comfortable judging anyone in that particular debate. I'm not qualified."
There is little doubt that Ripken will be voted in, mostly due to the record he set for consecutive games played, at 2,632, breaking Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130. There are those that argue that Ripken did not have the kind of career numbers that McGwire did, and what has evolved is a debate over what makes a player worthy of the Hall of Fame. Is a major personal accomplishment enough? Should overall stats play a more crucial role? Should a player’s leadership role and reputation be factored in?
It is worth noting that Bonds has other strikes against him—he is likely to be expensive and he is injury prone—but so is J.D. Drew, and he just signed a $50 million contract with the Red Sox. Plenty of teams are going to sign players with questionable durability and take risks with their rosters and their checkbooks.
There’s never been any doubt that Bonds is a great baseball player, just like no one is doubting McGwire’s skill; even if he did take steroids, he still had to hit seventy pitches over the fence. Perhaps what is being said though is that talent and stature alone are not enough. Maybe it’s not enough that he is on his way to breaking a major baseball record, and maybe teams just don’t want to court controversial players anymore. After a good season and a playoff run in 2006, Bonds’ current lack of employment may be an indication that in free agents teams are looking for both a particular kind of player who is also a particular kind of person.
Labels: Barry Bonds, Cal Ripken, Cooperstown, steroids
