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I am against the signing of Bonds or any other player who is strongly
suspected of lieing about drug use. The Rays management deny there is
any substance to the rumor.
All of that said, here is what Buster Olneys column on Espn has to say
re the rumor. Food for thought.
posted: Monday, February 25, 2008 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: MLB
The Rays are weighing the possibility of pursuing Barry Bonds, writes Marc Topkin.
He does make a whole lot of sense for Tampa Bay, in so many ways; wrote about this last fall, and at that time, was told that the Rays probably wouldn't want Bonds as the centerpiece presence in a clubhouse loaded with young players.
But here's why you could understand how this might happen:
1. At this point, Bonds might be willing to play for far less than he played for last year, when he earned a base salary of about $17 million -- and he would be a natural attendance draw for the Rays.
2. Bonds's patience at the plate is something that the young and developing Rays' hitters could learn from over a long season.
3. In a new place, on a new team, and in a short-term situation, Bonds's allegedly stifling clubhouse presence (read between the lines in the quotes from the Giants' players last week) might not be any kind of problem at all.
4. Most importantly: A lineup with Bonds, who racked up a .480 on-base percentage last year, makes the Rays a better team.
A scout mentioned to me on Sunday, without knowledge of the possible interest in Bonds, that he thinks the Rays are going to win 81 games this year, with their improved pitching, their developing lineup. Think of how strong Tampa Bay's lineup could look with Bonds by midsummer:
1. 2B Akinori Iwamura
2. LF Carl Crawford
3. CF B.J. Upton
4. DH Barry Bonds
5. 1B Carlos Pena
6. RF Rocco Baldelli/Cliff Floyd
7. 3B Evan Longoria
8. C Dioner Navarro
9. SS Jason Bartlett
Not bad. And when you ask about the Rays' young pitching -- guys who might be a factor in the second half -- you hear nothing but rave reviews. Look, Tampa Bay is not going to win the AL East this year, but the Rays are going to have a whole lot to say about who does win the division; you could argue that they might be the reason why only one team might make the playoffs out of the deep AL East. A lineup with Bonds in the middle would make them that much tougher. It makes absolute sense for them to add him, at the right price.
Some folks will say that signing Bonds, while he's under indictment for perjury related to testimony about his alleged steroid use, is sending the wrong message. Well, it's fairly apparent that major league baseball teams are willing to overlook possible PED connections, in the cases of Jose Guillen and Miguel Tejada to many, many others. Bonds should not be treated under a different standard than any other player touched by this issue.
suspected of lieing about drug use. The Rays management deny there is
any substance to the rumor.
All of that said, here is what Buster Olneys column on Espn has to say
re the rumor. Food for thought.
posted: Monday, February 25, 2008 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: MLB
The Rays are weighing the possibility of pursuing Barry Bonds, writes Marc Topkin.
He does make a whole lot of sense for Tampa Bay, in so many ways; wrote about this last fall, and at that time, was told that the Rays probably wouldn't want Bonds as the centerpiece presence in a clubhouse loaded with young players.
But here's why you could understand how this might happen:
1. At this point, Bonds might be willing to play for far less than he played for last year, when he earned a base salary of about $17 million -- and he would be a natural attendance draw for the Rays.
2. Bonds's patience at the plate is something that the young and developing Rays' hitters could learn from over a long season.
3. In a new place, on a new team, and in a short-term situation, Bonds's allegedly stifling clubhouse presence (read between the lines in the quotes from the Giants' players last week) might not be any kind of problem at all.
4. Most importantly: A lineup with Bonds, who racked up a .480 on-base percentage last year, makes the Rays a better team.
A scout mentioned to me on Sunday, without knowledge of the possible interest in Bonds, that he thinks the Rays are going to win 81 games this year, with their improved pitching, their developing lineup. Think of how strong Tampa Bay's lineup could look with Bonds by midsummer:
1. 2B Akinori Iwamura
2. LF Carl Crawford
3. CF B.J. Upton
4. DH Barry Bonds
5. 1B Carlos Pena
6. RF Rocco Baldelli/Cliff Floyd
7. 3B Evan Longoria
8. C Dioner Navarro
9. SS Jason Bartlett
Not bad. And when you ask about the Rays' young pitching -- guys who might be a factor in the second half -- you hear nothing but rave reviews. Look, Tampa Bay is not going to win the AL East this year, but the Rays are going to have a whole lot to say about who does win the division; you could argue that they might be the reason why only one team might make the playoffs out of the deep AL East. A lineup with Bonds in the middle would make them that much tougher. It makes absolute sense for them to add him, at the right price.
Some folks will say that signing Bonds, while he's under indictment for perjury related to testimony about his alleged steroid use, is sending the wrong message. Well, it's fairly apparent that major league baseball teams are willing to overlook possible PED connections, in the cases of Jose Guillen and Miguel Tejada to many, many others. Bonds should not be treated under a different standard than any other player touched by this issue.
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