There is starting to be some talk that the Braves should take interest in the services of Barry Bonds. If you take away his name and just look at the numbers and what he could bring to the team, it seems like a good idea.
Bonds only played in 126 games last season, but still hit 28 home runs with 66 RBI. Sure, that’s nothing compared to the numbers he used to put up, but he’s healthy now and he’s willing to play for the league minimum.
This would mean that there is almost no risk for Frank Wren. Some would say that the risk would be his negative impact in the clubhouse. I say there are too many leaders on this Braves team for that to happen. Guys like Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz are more than capable of keeping everybody in line.
The team would only have to pay a pro-rated amount of the league minimum for the remainder of the season. The best part is that they would be getting more than just 10-15 homers for less than $150k. Just his presence in the line-up would almost guarantee a jump in production from the guys ahead of him in the order.
Just imagine a line-up that looked like this:
1.Yunel Escobar
2. Kelley Johnson or Mark Kotsay
3. Chipper Jones
4. Mark Teixeira
5. Barry Bonds
6. Brian McCann
7. Mark Kotsay or Kelley Johnson
8. Jeff Francoeur
Both McCann and Teixeira would benefit from having Bonds behind them instead of Frenchy. It’s a wonder how McCann has gotten anything to hit this year when there’s almost a sure out hitting behind him.
Bonds is the cheapest solution to one of the Braves biggest needs which is a bat in the outfield. He’s cheaper than Adam Dunn or anybody else that the Braves could acquire, and they wouldn’t have to give up any of their young talent for him. This would leave Wren more to deal with in a trade for a pitcher. And as for any legal concerns, his trial doesn’t start until next year, so there would be no concern about him being able to finish the season.
When healthy, like he is said to be now, Bonds is still one of the best hitters in the world. So the Braves need to decide which is more important, not hurting Hank Aaron’s feelings, or winning a World Series. I love Hank, but man, I’m tired of losing!
Filed under: Balls and Strikes | Tagged: Atlanta Braves, Barry Bonds, Baseball, Frank Wren, MLB, Sports
I’m still surprised that no one has still picked him up already. I know he is a huge media magnet and that he has a lot of controversy behind him, but regardless, the guy can still hit home runs and can be very valuable especially for an AL team. I’m interested in where you heard the rumor of Barry possible going to Atlanta?