Where Will Bonds End Up? (Should the Cubs Be Interested?)

[Sammy Sofa]

I soured on Sosa when some of the things about him came to light. I feel the same way about Bonds, Giambi, McGwire and any of the other idiots who may or may not have cheated. I want none of those guys anywhere near the Cubs, regardless of the fact it may get them to the WS.

 

Off-topic maybe, but what exactly about Sosa "came to light"?

 

Of any of those you mentioned: Bonds, Giambi, McGwire, plus Canseco, and Palmeiro (who testified in front of the Congressional committee) -- Sosa has the least against him. He never tested positive for steroids. No players or trainers have said anything about him taking performance-enhancing drugs. All we have is declining production and injuries. It's speculation.

 

If you are talking about the cork incident, that's a different story, but it's nothing compared to juicing, imo.

 

That is the odd thing about Sosa...personally, I think he was doing "something" during his peak years to add to his power, but you're right, he hasn't had anything even close to the accusations and "revelations" as the other proven or suspected users. Perhaps he's actually the most brilliant man in the world...well played, Sammy. Well played.

 

But like I said, I don't know if he used. I could be wrong. I don't think I am, but hey, anything's possible.

[Andy]

Collusion?

 

I call it not wanting to sign a clubhouse cancer who's on the wrong side of 40, can't field (eliminating all NL teams from signing him), and has a knee about as reliable as Dusty Baker's brain.

 

But that's just me.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

156, 177, 260, 231, 275

 

Barry's OPS+ for the past five years.

 

Lee in his career has only had one season better than Bonds' worst on that list.

 

Aramis Ramirez has never topped 156 OPS+.

 

Barrett? Not even close.

 

Jones? Don't make me laugh.

 

Even with declining skills, Bonds likely would be better than any hitter on the Cubs. At worst, he'd be our third best hitter.

[Wheelimus]

I don't really care if he slaps Hendry in the face after every game, hell, I'd like that. He can do whatever he wants when he isn't in the game so long as he brings his bat with him.

 

A .400 plus OBP? A .400 plus freaking OBP? Let him take batting practice off of a tee of Fredie Bynums teeth, for all I care. So long as I get that bat.

 

Really, if you have the chance to sign a guy like this that nobody wants and you have great leverage over, you aren't serious about winning now.

 

So what if you only get a hundred starts out of him. Good. Let Matt play. But those hundred games he plays, I like our chances.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I don't really care if he slaps Hendry in the face after every game, hell, I'd like that. He can do whatever he wants when he isn't in the game so long as he brings his bat with him.

 

A .400 plus OBP? A .400 plus freaking OBP? Let him take batting practice off of a tee of Fredie Bynums teeth, for all I care. So long as I get that bat.

 

Really, if you have the chance to sign a guy like this that nobody wants and you have great leverage over, you aren't serious about winning now.

 

So what if you only get a hundred starts out of him. Good. Let Matt play. But those hundred games he plays, I like our chances.

 

Exactly!!!

[sethuel1]

If Bonds broke Aaron's record en route to leading the Cubs to the playoffs, I'd be all for it.

 

at this point, if bonds can take us to the playoffs, he can burn an american flag while doing it for all i care.

 

If he took us to the playoffs I'd let him do whatever he wanted. Take batting practice in the nude, taunt his teammates, trash the Cubs to the media, beat a recovering Prior with prosthetic legs stolen from a now-immobile Ron Santo. i don't care.

[Big Fergie J]

156, 177, 260, 231, 275

 

Barry's OPS+ for the past five years.

 

Lee in his career has only had one season better than Bonds' worst on that list.

 

Aramis Ramirez has never topped 156 OPS+.

 

Barrett? Not even close.

 

Jones? Don't make me laugh.

 

Even with declining skills, Bonds likely would be better than any hitter on the Cubs. At worst, he'd be our third best hitter.

 

I am firmly in your camp on this Vance.

 

If I ran the Cubs I would do it......then again I don't run the Cubs

[shnsajax]

I have no problem with Bonds getting a 1 year 6-8 million deal. He still has plenty of Wrigley HR's left in him IMO. Hell I would smuggle the juice over for him if thats what he needed to hit.

[Yeti]

If Bonds broke Aaron's record en route to leading the Cubs to the playoffs, I'd be all for it.

 

at this point, if bonds can take us to the playoffs, he can burn an american flag while doing it for all i care.

i'd rather not see the Cubs in the playoffs if it takes bringing Bonds onboard..where is your integrity?

[Sammy Sofa]

If Bonds broke Aaron's record en route to leading the Cubs to the playoffs, I'd be all for it.

 

at this point, if bonds can take us to the playoffs, he can burn an american flag while doing it for all i care.

i'd rather not see the Cubs in the playoffs if it takes bringing Bonds onboard..where is your integrity?

 

Far, FAR outweighed by a century of futility.

[cubsva]

I don't really care if he slaps Hendry in the face after every game, hell, I'd like that. He can do whatever he wants when he isn't in the game so long as he brings his bat with him.

 

A .400 plus OBP? A .400 plus freaking OBP? Let him take batting practice off of a tee of Fredie Bynums teeth, for all I care. So long as I get that bat.

 

 

I know I am in the minority on this, but I really think Bonds has earned the right to get a reasonable amount of freedom in the clubhouse. Sure, there is the possibility that he can have a negative effect on on the team morale. However, just like wheeli said, look at what he brings. I mean, even if his offensive numbers decline. He still has THE BEST eye in the game. ANY mistake that a pitcher makes, it is over the wall (All of you and I know this.)

 

I say sign him, give him ten...twelve million dollars. He will want to prove everybody wrong in SF and all the teams that would not sign him. His fielding is suspect, but if Pie is in CF, that will aleviate some of the dangers of Bonds.

 

Despite the problems with his knees, teams still fear Bonds. They fear him because they are smart and they know what he brings to the plate. How could we pass that up. And honestly, this is just the kind of signing JH would jump on.

[soccer10k]

If I had to put up with a season of watching Bonds in a Cubs uniform and the Cubs didn't make the playoffs, I would probably shoot myself.

[biittner77]

Know what's really bad for team morale? Losing almost 100 games. I don't care about any "clubhouse cancer issues".

 

Will he be expensive? THe Cubs are increasing payroll to add a hitter and Bonds-when healthy-is much better than any of the other names available via FA. I don't care about how much Bonds will cost.

 

Can Bonds really be counted on to play 100 games next season? That to me seems like a big question mark.

 

As far as rooting for Bonds is concerned, personally I'd rather see him not break the record but if he's going to anyway it might as well be in a Cubs uniform.

[NewUserName]

Collusion?

 

I call it not wanting to sign a clubhouse cancer who's on the wrong side of 40, can't field (eliminating all NL teams from signing him), and has a knee about as reliable as Dusty Baker's brain.

 

But that's just me.

 

 

For being a Clubhouse cancer he has been on several successful teams that really dont have a lot of talent besides him. Although he is slow, his knowledge of the postition and taking the correct angle towards the ball make him an adequite LFer.

 

I would be for adding him if the price was right. I would much rather give him a 1 yr deal at 5-7 million than paying CLee 12 million for 4 years.

[atcfootball]

Bonds is a great player, no doubt about that... With or without drugs to make him better, he was going to be one of the better players in the history of the game.

Do I want to see him in Cubbie blue next season? I honestly don't think I would mind it, IF he helped the team win!

However to me that is to big of an "IF" considering the past two seasons the Cubs have had with players getting hurt. I'm just not 100% sure I would like to give BIG $$ to a player with such a history of getting hurt the past two years.

I'm not sure I can take another year of Prior and Wood but this time from our LF position. I'm not sure I can take another Lee problem (Lee was not the problem, but his getting hurt was a problem) on top of Prior, Wood, Bonds and so on...

If you would sign Bonds and plays 140 games you are the GM of the year. If you sign him and he plays 50 games, Hendry signed his own ticket out of Chicago. I'm just not sure he is going to be willing to put his future into the hands of a 40+ OF with a history (last few years) of beeing hurt along with all the personal problems that com with it.

In the past Hendry has taken chances on players with a history of being hurt... I hope he has learned from his mistakes because this past season is a great example of what happens when you count on players that have a history of not being ready to go everyday!

 

If bonds can play 140 games next season, SIGN HIM NOW! If not, walk away, just my thinking. I would hate to see the money go to him when it could be used better to imporve the team in other areas!

[InconspicuousZ28]

If Bonds broke Aaron's record en route to leading the Cubs to the playoffs, I'd be all for it.

 

at this point, if bonds can take us to the playoffs, he can burn an american flag while doing it for all i care.

i'd rather not see the Cubs in the playoffs if it takes bringing Bonds onboard..where is your integrity?

 

I agree. I threw up in my mouth a little bit at the thought of the Cubs signing Bonds, and went into full dry heave when I started reading in this thread of how many would support such a move.

 

Get to the playoffs the right way, without bringing a clubhouse cancer with a huge head (literally and figuratively) on board.

 

I daydream about Barry not playing at all next year (or ever again) due to lack of interest in the FA market.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

After 100 years, just win baby!

[soccer10k]

After 100 years, just win baby!

 

I hate Bonds just as much as anybody else does but for me, this is the key. I just want a World Series. I don't really care how they get it done as long as they get it done.

[Wheelimus]

i'd rather not see the Cubs in the playoffs if it takes bringing Bonds onboard..where is your integrity?

 

Gone, there's actually a scientific formula to represent how it happened.

 

10% gone growing up listening to father cry about 1969

15% gone for first baseball memory being losing in 1984, at the age of 4

15% gone for watching us lose in '89, then go on to lose Maddux

10% gone watching Ryan Sandberg retire twice without a World Series ring

30% gone in 2003

20% gone watching this past years team

 

So, really, I'm integrity bankrupt. If bringing Cap Anson back from the dead won us a championship, I'd pitch in to buy the team a muzzle. :D

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'd take every [expletive] in baseball if it would get the Cubs closer to a World Series. Give me Bonds. Give me Kenny Rogers with crap all over his hands. Give me Jeff Kent acting like a prick to everyone. Give me Milton Bradley calling reporters an uncle tom. Give me Jim Edmonds with mascara, half-shirts, and turning routine plays into a dive. Give me Delmon Young throwing bats. Give me Bobby Cox beating his wife...hell give me Wolf and Lugo doing the same thing too. Give me Clemens being an all-around pain in the ass.

 

If these were the most productive players, I'd take them all. Just get me to the playoffs with a chance at a World Series! It's been 100 [expletive] years!!!!

[CuseCubFan69]

What if Bonds is hurt for most of the year and Hendry makes a mistake and depends on him too much? I would like a healthy impact hitter if I'm depending on him for my job on it like Hendry is.

[baseball7897]

What if Bonds is hurt for most of the year and Hendry makes a mistake and depends on him too much? I would like a healthy impact hitter if I'm depending on him for my job on it like Hendry is.

 

That's why your bench is important.

[CuseCubFan69]

What if Bonds is hurt for most of the year and Hendry makes a mistake and depends on him too much? I would like a healthy impact hitter if I'm depending on him for my job on it like Hendry is.

 

That's why your bench is important.

 

It's tough to get a good one if you're putting too much cash into a broken down Bonds though. If he took a heavy incentive type contract I could see it working. Another thing I worry about is what if baseball actually has a HGH test in place for 2007? I realize it'll only catch the Enrique Wilson types but it might scare Bonds and he needs that stuff.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

What if Bonds is hurt for most of the year and Hendry makes a mistake and depends on him too much? I would like a healthy impact hitter if I'm depending on him for my job on it like Hendry is.

 

I think Murton minimizes the risk. When Bonds is out, Murton starts. The risk is minimized somewhat.

 

Furthemore, if everyone is low-balling Bonds, I give him this deal to think about.

 

6 million base.

1 million bonus if he plays 85 games.

1 million bonus if he plays 100 games.

1 million bonus if he plays 125 games.

1 million bonus if he plays 140 games.

2 million if he plays 155 games.

 

Bonds is only guaranteed 6 million, but he plays a full season (he won't) he can make 12 million.

[CuseCubFan69]

What if Bonds is hurt for most of the year and Hendry makes a mistake and depends on him too much? I would like a healthy impact hitter if I'm depending on him for my job on it like Hendry is.

 

I think Murton minimizes the risk. When Bonds is out, Murton starts. The risk is minimized somewhat.

 

Furthemore, if everyone is low-balling Bonds, I give him this deal to think about.

 

6 million base.

1 million bonus if he plays 85 games.

1 million bonus if he plays 100 games.

1 million bonus if he plays 125 games.

1 million bonus if he plays 140 games.

2 million if he plays 155 games.

 

Bonds is only guaranteed 6 million, but he plays a full season (he won't) he can make 12 million.

 

I would have shifted Murton over to right and Jones to center unless you have another CF in mind, like Soriano or Drew perhaps?