Thomas was hitting .167/.306/.333 with a consensus that his bat has slowed.
He will be 40 next month and was quite vocal about his unhappiness--suggesting that the Jays benched him on Saturday to prevent him from getting enough at bats to trigger his $10 million vesting option for 2009.
We have heard all through the offseason that no team has a spot for an aging future Hall of Famer DH type slugger with the reputation of selfish, me-first behaviour.
Of course, that player was Barry Bonds--he of the 170 OPS+ and 2007 batting line of .276/.480/.565.
Thomas had an OPS+ of 125 last season and hit 26 HR in 531 AB while Bonds hit 28 HR in 340 AB. Both are career long OBP machines--however Bonds generally doesn’t require a combination of three hits/walks to get him around the bases. Bonds has slowed as well, but did pilfer five bases in five tries (although Thomas was also a perfect 0-for-0).
Therefore, the fat is on the fire. Theoretically, teams that did not Barry Bonds should not want Frank Thomas--the perception is he can only DH and there is the possibility of both injury and being at the end of the line as a ballplayer.
It will be interesting to see if Thomas can find work. If he receives multiple offers/inquiries then Barry Bonds can rightfully ask, “Hold on a second here. I was told…”
Right now, there is a team without a full time DH (Toronto--duh) and if Thomas is picked up by another club to serve in that capacity then it unmasks a second organization looking to either find a DH or upgrade the position.
You can bet that both Jeff Borris (Bonds’ agent) and the MLBPA will be following Thomas’s job search with great interest. Although, insofar as chronic asshololism goes, most would opine that the severity of Bonds’ condition is worse than “The Big Hurt’s.” Regardless, they’re more alike than not--both future Hall of Famers, both renowned home run hitters, both known for being on base threats, both over 40, both with recent injury histories, both outspoken with “selfish” reps, both cast solely as DH candidates and both currently unemployed.
As mentioned though--Bonds has a little more speed and could probably hid in left field for limited periods. Nobody would ever think of handing Frank Thomas a glove unless it was accompanied by a Titleist and a three-wood or FOX came up with a new reality show “Who Wants to Be a Proctologist?”
On top of this--Bonds has the advantage in that he hits lefties while Thomas bats right handed. Strictly from a platoon advantage standpoint Bonds would be the more valuable commodity.
Of note are some of the comments from the affected parties:
"Obviously, reduced playing time is not something that he was interested in. In order to let him go forward and get on with his career, I think it's fair to do it at this point."--J.P. Ricciardi
"It's a chance for him to move on and it's a chance for him to maybe get those at bats that he wants."-- John Gibbons
"My career isn’t going to end like this.”--Frank ThomasNobody seemed overly concerned that Thomas may not be able to find work. It may be easy to state that he won’t cost as much (as Bonds) but it would be suspicious for a club to use big Frank in a given role without checking with Bonds’ camp to see how much he is willing to play for.
Time will tell.
Best Regards
John