MLBPA: Teams conspired against Bonds

We'll read his bankrupt in five years.

 

creamora just wrote a 2,000-word essay and doesn't know why.

 

Don't forget, the '85-'87 cases also featured star players becoming free agents and not receiving any offers from any other teams.

Bonds has a difficult case just because of his history of clubhouse problems. All teams have to do is to say that they didn't want someone on their team who would upset the other 24 players.

 

So the 30 teams just did what MLB didn't have the balls to do? What's the diff?

 

All 30 teams are conspiring against signing me, too. Hell, I'm in my prime.

 

I heard an awful lot of the same arguments during the Collusion Days of the mid-1980's.
MLB will settle this.

 

I actually think the MLBPA has a point. There is no question Bonds can still play, but the league is better off without him. The same could have been said about Canseco several years ago.

I was sure someone was going to sign Bonds at some point last year.

That said, I don't feel bad for Bonds for a second.

 

Bonds has more left than Canseco did in his final season, but teams passed for good reasons in both cases.

 

Part of the reason I believe what the MLBPA is saying is that there were hardly even any rumors of teams being interested in Bonds this season, at least that I can remember.

 

Expect, very shortly, for Bonds to file suit against the MLBPA, on the grounds that with a player of his age, with an extremely limited career expectation, delaying a grievance by even one day works strongly against his interests, and as his instituional bargaining agent with MLB, the PA should have devoted every possible effort to getting him back on the field as soon as possible.

Which team he will argue should have been ordered to sign him, will be a very interesting legal hypothetical.

 

Bonds' agent said he contacted all 30 teams and offered for Bonds to play for the league minimum. Posnanski followed up on it (either for the Star or his blog), and Dayton Moore told him the Royals never got the call. So if the agent didn't turn over every rock to find his client a job, why is the MLB at fault?

 

Will Bonds fire his agent for lying?