Barry intends to play next season; who might bite?

Barry Bonds doesn't plan to sit idle next season after another strong year at the plate. Brad Mangin/SI

Also in this column:
• Another meltdown for Bradley
• A-Rod rumor season in full swing
• Four-man MVP race in the NL

Barry Bonds broke the news on his Web site that the Giants don't want him anymore. So perhaps he can go into the reporting business if he fails to get another job in baseball. But I don't think that will be necessary.

Folks are speculating on the possibility that none of the other 29 teams will want Bonds, either, and while I suppose that's a remote possibility, it is hard to believe no team will take a chance on a hitter whose OPS is second to Alex Rodriguez's among players with 450 plate appearances this season (1.059 for A-Rod to 1.053 for Bonds).

The only way I could see Bonds not playing next season is if the feds finally come up with something to charge him with and he's sitting in the hoosegow. My guess is that won't happen. The government's Bonds crusade has been going on for years, and so far all it has succeeded in doing is continually jailing Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, which makes its efforts to date nothing short of a giant waste of time and money.

There is an excellent chance that being released from the Giants will be Bonds' greatest personal disappointment. And the news did hurt him -- especially the timing. ("I am saddened and upset that I was not given an earlier opportunity to properly say goodbye to you, my fans, and celebrate with the city throughout the season as I truly believe this was not a last minute decision by the Giants, but one that was made some time ago," Bonds wrote in his online journal.) But as his agent, Jeff Borris, told SI.com on Sunday, "Barry's heart will always be in San Francisco. But he'll playing someplace else.''

The question now is this: where?

"With the numbers he produces,'' Borris said, "I can't imagine a general manager not wanting him.''

One might think that. But there's most likely an owner or GM or two -- or more -- who think Bonds is more trouble than he's worth, who just wouldn't want Mr. Personality in their clubhouse. There is, after all, at least one front office that already feels that way: San Francisco's, which knows him best. And frankly, I can't blame them. While the Bonds-Giants marriage generally paid off for both parties, it's easy to see how he would wear on a team, and especially how he wouldn't be wanted by a team that knows it must rebuild.

Yet it's doubtful that all 29 other GMs and owners will think that way, not after a season in which Bonds' .483 on-base percentage ranked highest among players with 450 plate appearances and his .570 slugging percentage placed higher than all but an elite handful.

Considering baseball's new power shortage, my guess is that there will be a few GMs and owners more than willing to welcome Bonds. Here is an early rundown of the possibilities:

1. Texas Rangers. Owner Tom Hicks made hay with his surprise signing of Sammy Sosa after Sosa missed an entire season and failed miserably the year before in Baltimore, and Hicks was spied cheering Bonds while accompanying the commish on the home-run chase. Hicks complained the Rangers' signing of Juan Gonzalez was a waste in that they got the post-juice Gonzalez. Well, Bonds is still producing.

2. Oakland A's. Bonds would prefer to stay on the West Coast, and the A's seriously mulled signing him last winter before deciding against it. Their reluctance may have had more to do with the high asking price than any moral outrage, however, because their backtracking appeared to have occurred right after hearing the monetary stratosphere. Bonds is the perfect Moneyball player, though not at those prices ... perhaps if he was closer to $10 million than the $20 mil he's earning this year?

3. Seattle Mariners. Everything is up for grabs after their late-year meltdown. It's hard to say who'll be calling the shots, but they have the wherewithal and the need, and Bonds may not mind a move up the coast.

4. San Diego Padres. They have a Moneyball influence in the front office and they took on Milton Bradley (who has a far worse attitude than Bonds without anywhere near the talent) and even that worked up until Sunday (see below). Plus, Bonds absolutely rocks vs. the Pads (his 87 career homers against them are by far his most against any team). While a DH spot makes the most sense for a 43-year-old leftfielder with iffy knees, defensively he's far from the worst out there.

5. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It'll be best for Bonds if he gets one of the above to bite, because there are definite roadblocks for teams 5 through 10 on this list. Bonds resides in Beverly Hills, so he lives within driving distance, even if the Angels really aren't in L.A. However, owner Arte Moreno has taken a very public stance against artificial enhancers, so adding Bonds would take some major explainin'.

6. Detroit Tigers. The guess here is Bonds' warm and fuzzy relationship with manager Jim Leyland won't carry the day. Besides, Detroit already has another controversial Leyland favorite manning DH duties. Yes, Gary Sheffield, who had a well-publicized falling out with Bonds.

7. Chicago White Sox. They won with a team of strong personalities in 2005. But they already have Jim Thome to DH.

8. New York Yankees. Major longshot. Bonds doesn't like New York, and the Yankees didn't like it when he gave them the run-around in 2001, back when he was a hot item. They also are stuck with Jason Giambi for DH. Although ... what happens if they can't keep Rodriguez? It probably won't happen, but it can't be ruled out entirely.

9. Baltimore Orioles. They sure could use the offense. But owner Peter Angelos is leery of taking on another suspected cheat when his club has dealt with numerous allegations already. Meanwhile, they appear stuck with "Mr. Big Arms,'' which is what one e-mailer called Jay Gibbons, an apt description.

10. Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Last time they had a longshot plan to sign Bonds if he was willing to play for an incentive-heavy deal (he wound up getting $15.8 mil guaranteed, plus incentives on top of that). The bigger problem, of course, is that Bonds' prerequisite is to play for a winner.

1 of 2