FA Perusing: Barry Bonds

More and more, it is looking like Bonds could be the best value on the free agent market.

If you get past the initial reaction to the idea (NOOO!), there are a lot of reasons why Bonds would be a perfect fit for the M's.  

The Mariners badly need a lefthanded power bat, and they also need players who can get on base.  

Bonds fills both needs perfectly.  

Although his final stats for 2006 (.270/.454/.545 with 26 HRs) don't match up with the ludicrous numbers that we have come to expect from the best hitter in baseball over the past decade (~.350/.550/.800 w/ 45+ HRs), there is good reason to think that Bonds still has something left in the tank:

Pre-Allstar: .249/.474/.497
August:  .333/.459/.638
September: .299/.405/.657

When Barry got healthy at the end of 2006, he was putting up incredible numbers.  

All of the scouting reports and information I have been able to find about him suggest that his bat speed and eye are still exceptional.

Everyone talks about how moving him to DH full-time would help keep his legs fresh.  

In all likelihood, you can conservatively pencil Bonds in for .300/.450/.550 for as long as he remains on the field in 2007.  And the upside is a lot better than that.  

The downsides to Bonds are obvious and hugely important.  

First, he is a total douchebag.  

Second, he is a cheater.

Third, he is universally despised.  

Fourth, he will turn 43 next summer.

Fifth, he has knee problems that won't go away.  

Sixth, he has a well-documented reputation as a clubhouse cancer.  

Seventh, he is a total douchebag.  

All important points.  But really, only two of those points have anything to do with Bonds' performance.  

If the M's did go after Bonds, he would create a circus sideshow atmosphere.  About 90% of media attention in spring training and early in the season would focus squarely on Bonds, overshadowing any other good news that comes from the club.  But I do think that the media attention would wane more that people might think.  

The impact on attendance would be tough to gauge.  Everyone loves to see a spectacle, and Bonds is definitely a spectacle.  The M's would draw big crowds for away games, but I am not sure how fans in Seattle would react.  The team would be far less family friendly, but it would be a lot more interesting to watch.  And we would still have Ichiro, Ibanez, and Felix as marketable guys.  

But one thing is really clear to me: if the M's signed Bonds, and he was able to play ~130-140 games next year, he would dramatically improve the offense.  He would help the club win games.  

From a sheerly performance-focused perspective, I love the idea of adding him to the lineup.  Bonds would help fix our biggest weakness - the M's ranked 13th out of 14 teams in the AL in OBP last season - and solve the M's problems with finding a good #3 hitter.  He would also do well in Safeco.  And, as the DH, his horrible defense isn't much of an issue at all (although it would keep Ibanez on the field).  

Finally, Bonds' status as the most hated man in baseball, coupled with his age, will drive down his price.  If the M's could sign him for less than $12 million on a one-year deal, it could be an absolute bargain.  And since there are so few worthwhile things to spend money on this offseason, a one-year deal would be pretty nice.  Maybe throw in an option.  

I dunno.  I am agnostic on this issue.  But the more I think about it, the more sense it makes.