Hot Stove Thread

Shameless bump.

 

So it's clear Bonds wants to play in 2008.

Would you, under any circumstances, throw $5 million at him and see how desperate he is? Maybe his trial doesn't begin until a year from now. Put him at DH, let him watch video in the clubhouse inbetween at bats, rest him often, deal with the media circus and get a year of him hitting .296 with 25 HRs and .450 OBP. See if he'll agree to a clause that voids the last $2 million of the deal if he's convicted or has to miss more than 25 games for court appearances.

If I were the Angles, I wouldn't completely dismiss the idea. You could tell the fans, who clearly don't care as much as we do anyway, that whatever he did in the past is irrelevant because he's tested now and he's clean. As old as he is, would you pitch around Vlad to pitch to him in a tight spot?

 

I read the opposite on SI.com, that the Orioles turned down Kemp and Broxton for Bedard earlier this week.

 

Here's what SI.com had, presuming this is the article in question:

Note that Jon Heyman was skeptical the offer was made. Broxton supposedly was one player the Orioles were insisting on, so count me in the skeptical crowd, too.

 

Just to pile on, from the latest LA Times story:

 

Ah, gotcha. Good catch, I was about to go look for that link. Misread it originally then.

 

I think from a purely baseball standpoint, it would make sense. But factoring in the federal indictment and everything that will go with it, if I am a team I avoid Barry Lamar Bonds like the plague.

 

If you could get some kind of idea of when his trial would be, I'd do it. Say he waives his right to a speedy trial because he wants to try and play one more season. I'm sure there would be all kinds of moralizing about whether Selig should suspend him, but I'm not sure Bud would have the guts. To be honest, I'd like to see him play in one last pennant race. But if he played at all, it would probably be for a team with no prayer, and he probably wouldn't do it, especially for what they'd pay him. But hell, he'd be a better DH than Sosa, whom the Rangers are talking about bringing back.

 

It would make some sene for the Angels to consider Bonds, though I thought the plan was to play Garrett Anderson primarily at DH with Matthews in left and Hunter in center. They could definitely use a left-handed bat and Bonds can still produce, though probably only for 100-120 games.

I just don't see it being worth all the heat they will take for it.

 

Shocker, Eric Gagne turned down arbitration. Sox get a type B compensation.

 

How the hell does he deserve a Type B compensation at this point?
Anyway, I was hoping the Sox would keep him. I enjoyed watching Gag-me down the stretch. He easily cost the Red Sox 5 wins by himself.

 

Alas, the Sox still won the division by two games and were the only team in baseball to win 11 playoff games.

You're really grasping for anything with which to mock the Sox, aren't you?