Barry Bonds in a Blue Jays uniform?  Would that fly north of the border? (pun intended)

Joel Sherman had the follwing to say on the New York Post blog this morning (tip of the hat to MLBtraderumors.com) about the reasons Bonds could find himself North of the border:

A)Lyle Overbay and Matt Stairs are nice complementary pieces, but Toronto lacks a lefty difference-maker within their lineup.

B) It was only one series, but Frank Thomas followed a poor spring training with an opener three-gamer against the Yanks New York Yankees in which he hardly looked spry. If Thomas is ticking toward done, it gives the Jays a DH spot in which to plug Bonds.

C) Many teams claim they are shying away from Bonds because they don't want the circus that accompanies Bonds. But it has been a long time since Toronto attracted big-time media attention and/or consistent big crowds. Few players would draw more interest than Bonds.

D) Does Bonds come with big-time negatives and worries about withering performance? You bet. But this is a season in which Toronto needs to stop knocking on doors and actually take a real run at the Red Sox and Yankees. You can see in the first series against the Yankees that Toronto has the potential for a superb pitching staff. But the Jays are lacking at least one bat. For three or four months, you can imagine the Jays taking the gamble on Bonds if they feel it is the difference between contending or not.

These are very interesting arguments and I will add the following to his logic.

The Frank Thomas contract with the Toronto organization reads as follows:

* signed as a free agent 11/06
* $9.12M signing bonus
* 07:$1M, 08:$8M, 09:$10M vesting option
* 2009 option guaranteed with 1,000 PAs 2007-08 or 525 PAs 2008
* no-trade protection
* performance bonuses: $0.2M each for 500, 525, 550, 575 & 600 PAs
* award bonuses: $0.1M for MVP, $50,000 each for Silver Slugger, WS MVP, LCS MVP or All Star ($25,000 All Star selection)

I highlighted the most interesting part.

For him to instantly remain on the Blue Jays payroll in 2009, he needs to get 376 plate appearances, after 624 were consumed last season.  This is not a lot and he could have that number beat by the All-Star break.

For the record, I am a Blue Jays fan and I love Thomas.  However, some things need to be said and it all begins with the fact that although he is still a good hitter, he is not what he was in the past and these 376 PA could become a burden for the franchise in 2009.  Baseball is a business and the $10 M he would earn next season are something to think about very seriously.

His lifetime numbers against both right- and left-handed pitchers are as follows:

RHP: .296/.411/.533
LHP: .327/.453/.649

Last season, they read like this:

RHP: .259/.360/.435
LHP: .336/.431/.631

While not bad against righties, the DH position for the Blue Jays could certainly see an improvement...with Bonds.  Thomas was pitched inside a lot last year and he took a lot of time to adjust to this new approach (don't let him extend his arms!): he did not have an OPS over .800 until June, even posting a .193 batting average in May.

For the club to keep Thomas against southpaws and sign Bonds to hit against righties would probably complicate relations with the Big Hurt, but it would also achieve many other things:

- Really improve an offense that lacks another threatening left-handed bat.
- Make a dent in the Jays finance this year, but save $10 M next year.  I'm sure Mr. Rogers would be interested in the upside of this year and the savings next year.
- As Sherman mentioned, there has not been a circus-like atmosphere in Toronto for a long while and the fan could possibly enjoy the fun run to the ultimate honors in baseball.

By no way am I suggesting this is a perfect proposition.  The health of Bonds is still a concern, although a DH role would reduce considerably the risk that he injures his knee or any part of his body severely.  His contract would still represent a large chunk of Toronto's Opening Day payroll that stands at over $98 M.  On top of that, you clearly have to debate whether the clubhouse is ready for that or not.  Many people may think otherwise, but to insert this player into a close-knit ensemble like the Jays are (or any other clubhouse, for that matter), it would require a little maneuvering and also a good discussion with the players currently on the roster.

That said, would the player reject him if it was explained that his addition to the offense would out them one step closer to the World Series?

Would Thomas say no to his first 'real' World Series ring (he appeared only 124 times at the plate in 2005)?

This is probably the last chance of Bonds' career to play baseball and also try to reach the 3,000 hits plateau (he has 2935 to date), so would he reduce his price tag for the chance to make a run for that achievement?

This is going to be very interesting to see what happens with Bonds and the club that decides to use his services.

I suggest you also read:

- My debate with John Brattain on possible collusion when it comes to Barry Bonds (the link takes you to the last installment of the 'three-part series')

- Jayson Stark had a piece on the 'Invisible Man' on ESPN.