Tampa Bay may have interest in Bonds

[Stanford]

Source: Tampabay.com

The Rays have weighed the merits of other remaining free agents, such as Mike Piazza and Kenny Lofton, and may not have decided whether to proceed on any of them. In Bonds' case, there would be a lot to think about in balancing what good he could do at the plate and the gate vs. the disruption he could cause in the clubhouse. (Unlike some teams, they also haven't said publicly they wouldn't consider Bonds, either.)

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/25/Rays/ ... _pur.shtml

The list of possible suitors may be short. May this be his only option?

[hermes]

wouldn't be a bad fit, then if his trial doesn't get in the way and he produces, he might be moved at the trade deadline

[VinnyTheMick]

So they drop the "devil" from their name because of its "image" then they go after Barry Bonds.

Weird.

[Chach]

If they sign Bonds, Friendman automatically becomes a Top 5 GM for me. To bring in a still nasty bat to DH, that will draw fans back to the stadium and with the improved team, you will have something to build off of in terms of fan support in 2009 and beyond. This would be a brilliant move by the Rays. mahalo
~Chach~

[Markos]

If they sign Bonds, Friendman automatically becomes a Top 5 GM for me. To bring in a still nasty bat to DH, that will draw fans back to the stadium and with the improved team, you will have something to build off of in terms of fan support in 2009 and beyond. This would be a brilliant move by the Rays. mahalo
~Chach~

Has a team of youngsters ever been positively influenced by an older supposed diva.

I would think a team of youngsters would need to grow up together out of the glare of the spotlight......although the team could bond over their dislike of bonds

[Bleeding Green]

Youngsters? These guys are 23-28; if they're "influenced" by Barry Bonds they are weak people and they're going to suck anyway.

[WEFFPIM]

Tampa Bay would be one of a small handful of places that would make sense for Bonds to go to.

[Chach]

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Has a team of youngsters ever been positively influenced by an older supposed diva.

I would think a team of youngsters would need to grow up together out of the glare of the spotlight......although the team could bond over their dislike of bonds

Who the **** cares. Bonds took the Giants to the World Series with Ray Durham hitting behind him, he's that good. He will put fannies in the seats and when the local population sees how good Scott Kazmir and Evan Longoria and BJ Upton are, and when the team finally breaks .500 this season, the fans will keep coming back, the cash will continue to flow, their disgusting minor league system will start to bear all its fruits, and the Rays will be fighting for division titles with the Sox and Yanks come 2011. mahalo
~Chach~

[SportsWorld]

I would do it if I were Tampa Bay. They need to find a way to get some local and national attention and grabbing a guy like Barry Bonds is just the way to do it.

[WEFFPIM]

And if you think about it for Tampa, sticking Bonds in there as a DH leaves them with a pretty nice lineup

[Ocho Cinco]

If it makes sense for one team to sign Bonds, it's the Rays.

[HMFFL]

Outstanding would move it would be if it actually happens. I seriously doubt it does, unless Bonds wants to add more to his record, but will see if anything comes of this.

[A.J.]

If it makes sense for one team to sign Bonds, it's the Rays.

yeah i agree...he still has come good hitting in him

[Elway=GOAT]

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Who the **** cares. Bonds took the Giants to the World Series with Ray Durham hitting behind him, he's that good. He will put fannies in the seats and when the local population sees how good Scott Kazmir and Evan Longoria and BJ Upton are, and when the team finally breaks .500 this season, the fans will keep coming back, the cash will continue to flow, their disgusting minor league system will start to bear all its fruits, and the Rays will be fighting for division titles with the Sox and Yanks come 2011. mahalo
~Chach~

Get back to wow, Bonds is not close to the player he was in the 2002 season. He is old, injury prone, and at this point in his career, he is not really helping any team on a regular basis. In particular a team that is as bad as the Rays are, and will be.

They will be battling it out for 3rd-4th every year, including this one, and an old Barry Bonds is not going to change that. If he was this difference making superstar, you are claiming him to be in the above post, there would be a host of teams in line to get him, he wouldn't have to hope the "Devil" Rays of all teams pick him up. He is not going to put a lot of people in the stands in the first place, especially in Tampa. That honeymoon lasts a month, they just have to see he is just another former superstar that held on too long, then it will be as empty as always.

[trwi7]

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Get back to wow, Bonds is not close to the player he was in the 2002 season. He is old, injury prone, and at this point in his career, he is not really helping any team on a regular basis. In particular a team that is as bad as the Rays are, and will be.

They will be battling it out for 3rd-4th every year, including this one, and an old Barry Bonds is not going to change that. If he was this difference making superstar, you are claiming him to be in the above post, there would be a host of teams in line to get him, he wouldn't have to hope the "Devil" Rays of all teams pick him up. He is not going to put a lot of people in the stands in the first place, especially in Tampa. That honeymoon lasts a month, they just have to see he is just another former superstar that held on too long, then it will be as empty as always.

Uhh the guy has had an OPS of 1.000 or higher 15 of the past 16 seasons and the season that he didn't he still had a .999 OPS.

This would be a great move for the Rays. He could DH to keep him healthyand he would look great in the middle of the order. If the Brewers were still in the AL I'd want them to sign Bonds in a second, he is still that good.

[Elway=GOAT]

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Uhh the guy has had an OPS of 1.000 or higher 15 of the past 16 seasons and the season that he didn't he still had a .999 OPS.

This would be a great move for the Rays. He could DH to keep him healthyand he would look great in the middle of the order. If the Brewers were still in the AL I'd want them to sign Bonds in a second, he is still that good.

So, you are trying to tell me, as Chach was saying, he is still as effective, and will have the same impact on a team that he did in 2002? If so, I do not even need to bother with a reply. Regardless of his OPS, he is not what he was, he is injured too often to make a impact(ask the giants the last couple years) and he is just not the MVP type player he was, period.

As I said before, if he was, there would be teams and gm's getting in line to sign this guy...

[swede]

Well Tampa Bay's GM is in a unique situation because fan currently don't care at all.. anything newsworthy is a positive.

[bigboy1234]

Bonds is still the best hitter in the game of course he would be a great pick up. Just don't see him going to the Rays for some reason, more because I don't think Bonds would go there. Really don't see any team thats going to pick him up.

[HeyIt'sMe]

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Get back to wow, Bonds is not close to the player he was in the 2002 season. He is old, injury prone, and at this point in his career, he is not really helping any team on a regular basis. In particular a team that is as bad as the Rays are, and will be.

They will be battling it out for 3rd-4th every year, including this one, and an old Barry Bonds is not going to change that. If he was this difference making superstar, you are claiming him to be in the above post, there would be a host of teams in line to get him, he wouldn't have to hope the "Devil" Rays of all teams pick him up. He is not going to put a lot of people in the stands in the first place, especially in Tampa. That honeymoon lasts a month, they just have to see he is just another former superstar that held on too long, then it will be as empty as always.

You're underestimating Tampa's fans... this isn't Miami. If the team wins, the fans will come. It was the same thing with the Bucs and Lightning for years, and now they always pack their venues. The problem is, the Rays have been so bad for so long, it's hard for anyone to be interested when they know the team is going to suck and probably lose.

The Rays will make a push towards .500 this year (yes, even in the Al East) and will be a playoff contender down the line once all their young talent meshes. I know everyone thinks they'll never have a chance in their division, but I don't believe it. The Red Sox and Yankees haven't always had good teams, as hard as that is to believe. Sooner or later, even with their pay rolls, they're going to have a poor season and Tampa will be there to capatilize.

[HCYanks]

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So, you are trying to tell me, as Chach was saying, he is still as effective, and will have the same impact on a team that he did in 2002? If so, I do not even need to bother with a reply. Regardless of his OPS, he is not what he was, he is injured too often to make a impact(ask the giants the last couple years) and he is just not the MVP type player he was, period.

As I said before, if he was, there would be teams and gm's getting in line to sign this guy...

Did you look at the offense around Bonds last year? It was absolutely pitiful. Yes, he isn't as good as the freak of nature he was a few years ago. But it takes more than a few bong hits to think a guy who put up .272/.480(!)/.565 last year can't significantly help a team. Especially an AL team that can get more at-bats out of him by making him the resident DH.

His general pariah status and potential legal troubles seem to be scaring lots of teams away. But the Rays don't have much of a fanbase to lose and need some one who has the potential to draw people in to show that they've really got something brewing in Tampa. The Rays will inevitably get some bad press off the bat, but odds are the move would be great in the longer run.