A's talking to Bonds!

[Catfish27]

BARRY BONDS SPORTING AN OAKLAND CAP!!!


Okay, so it's an Oakland Raiders cap. ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/OldTomBombadil/Baseball/Oakland_Barry.jpg

[Zito75]

Saw this story on the front page of OaklandAthletics.com...

CHICAGO -- The Oakland A's have emerged as a possible new home for Barry Bonds, although the stars must be perfectly aligned for that to happen, said Lewis Wolff, the team's managing partner.
"Statistically, Barry is terrific," Wolff said after the owners met briefly here on Thursday morning. "But you know how we operate. We're going to stay in a certain budget. So I don't know if that's going to give us any chance with him or not."

Wolff said there had been ongoing discussions between A's general manager Billy Beane and Jeff Borris, Bonds' Los Angeles-based agent.

"Billy is talking to everybody," he said.

Asked if the A's would sign Bonds at the "right price," Wolff added: "We'd have you playing shortstop at the right price."

Borris, when reached by phone, declined to discuss those talks, although he wouldn't deny that some had taken place.

As the free agent signing period began in earnest, the A's interest in Bonds has heightened, particularly with the reported signing by the Blue Jays of former Oakland designated hitter Frank Thomas for two years at $22 million. That's far too rich for Wolff's blood even after the announcement on Tuesday that his franchise has gone into partnership with CISCO Systems to build a new $400 million to $500 million ballpark in Fremont, Calif.

The reality of that ballpark opening is a minimum of four years away, meaning the A's will have to work within the restricted revenue they generate at McAfee Coliseum. Bonds made $18 million last season, the final one in a five-year, $90 million deal he signed just after hitting 73 homers in 2001 to break Mark McGwire's three-year-old single-season record.

Still, signing Bonds away from the cross-bay rival Giants would be no small coup for the A's. Beane has long been enamored with players who have a high on-base percentage, and Bonds, even at 42 and playing on a recuperating right knee and with bone chips in his left elbow, led the Major Leagues in that category this past season with a .454 mark -- he had 99 hits and 115 walks.

In comparison, Thomas had a .381 on-percentage (81 walks and 126 hits), but out-homered Bonds 39-26 and drove in 114 runs as compared to 77 for Bonds, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his elbow to remove those chips and a bone spur a day after the end of the regular season.

Borris continued to say that there has been a lot of interest around baseball in Bonds. Padres owner John Moores confirmed on Thursday that there had been some internal discussions within the organization about the lefty-swinging slugger, who would go into the 2007 season with 734 homers, 21 behind Hank Aaron's Major League-record 755.

[mlazar]

the only reason Bonds would sign with the A's would be to be closer to his personal trainer Greg Anderson who went back to jail in Dublin/Pleasonton again yesterday for the 3rd time...I wonder how much Barry is paying him not to testify ?

[EvanAparra]

No, the reason he would sign with the A's is if they pay him more and he still wants to play. He's not going to change teams to just be in the general viccinity of a prison.

[Buffalo A's fan]

I guess I'd take it. I cant see him hurting the team on the field, I dont think?

[Zito75]

What is Bonds commanding, something around $12 million for one season? I just don't see Beane paying that out, simply because he's an injury risk. We're already paying Chavez and Kendall nearly that amount, and neither of them had stellar years by any means. Heck, Chavez will probably be going under the knife soon.