This blog has tried hard to stick to pure baseball and to stay away from those areas which besmirch and discredit the game and the inate talents of those who play it.

I abhor free agent mega-bucks, the huge dough breeds arrogance, complacency and slacking off rather than continued honing one’s own talent in many players.  And these attributes are destructive to the game and to its athletes. 

Where mega-bucks are concerned, Blogging Baseball reports the facts non-judgmentally because as abhorent as I see free agent mega-bucks as being, I also see this era as the pendulum swinging in the other direction from the decades in the 20th century where players were relatively underpaid, often to the degree of indentured servants — similarly destructive to the game in it’s time.  (Boy, would I have loved to have a  $3.2 million, 5 year deal like Pete Rose got from the Phillies early in the free agent era.)  But, in all fairness, when players like Alex Rodriguez ink multi-year deals for $250+ Million, then Chase Utley’s 7 year, $85 million deal seems comparatively economic and a win/win for player and team and seemingly economically representative of the player’s comparative value in today’s bloated, hyper-inflated market.  But now, back to the game and it’s purity — the strikes, balls, base hits, stolen bases, double plays, strikeouts, homers and highlight film plays.

And drugs or steroids are similarly abhorent to me as unnaturally bloating a player’s inate talents in ways destructive to both the player using them and to the game. 

Sure it’s been exciting to watch Mark McGwire, and as previously written, I believe that McGwire belongs in the Hall by virtue of having broken  the season homerun record by a mile.  And Sammy Sosa was great to watch — trying to keep pace with McGwire in 1998 and as the only player in MLB history with three 60+ homer seasons.  And yes, the same holds true for Barry Bonds and his 73 homers in 2001 although the steroids hystrionics that came after it in subsequent years have been distasteful.

But let’s get back to baseball and to the exciting 2007 season as it unfolds.  Therefore, on the Bonds’, Giants one year deal — as they’d say on the old Dragnet: “The facts, ma’am, just the facts!”

FoxSports reports on the Bonds deal;

Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants completed a $15.8 million, one-year contract Monday night after the slugger spent hours at the ballpark being examined by team doctors.

A baseball official confirmed the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Giants had not yet announced it.

The contract was finalized nearly two months after the sides reached agreement on financial terms Dec. 7, the final day of baseball’s winter meetings. Bonds had to pass a physical, and the parties had to work out complicated language regarding Bonds’ behavior and what would happen if the slugger were to be indicted.

A federal grand jury is investigating whether Bonds perjured himself when he testified in 2003 in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid distribution case that he hadn’t knowingly taken any performance-enhancing drugs.

Two baseball officials said the slugger’s trainers — Harvey Shields and Greg Oliver — would no longer be on the Giants’ payroll. That means neither will be allowed in the clubhouse, where they previously had their own lockers next to Bonds’ space, or any other restricted area in any big league ballpark, the officials said. If they were to make road trips, it would be on Bonds’ dime.

The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of such details in Bonds’ contract.

Bonds, who traveled to the Bay Area from his offseason home in Southern California, underwent X-rays and many other tests from multiple team doctors.

The seven-time NL MVP waved, yelled “hello, hello” and smiled as he left the stadium Monday and then quickly drove away, with agent Jeff Borris in the passenger seat. Borris did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press.

The 42-year-old Bonds begins the 2007 season with 734 home runs, 22 from breaking Hank Aaron’s career record of 755.

Bonds can earn another $4.2 million in performance bonuses based on how much he plays. If he matches last year’s effort — 493 plate appearances, 130 games — he would receive the whole amount.

After missing all but 14 games in 2005 following three operations on his right knee, Bonds batted .270 with 26 homers and 77 RBIs and drew 115 walks last year. He passed Babe Ruth to move into second place on the career home run list May 28.

But the Giants missed the playoffs for the third straight year, leaving Bonds no closer to the World Series ring he has always coveted.

Bonds, who is coming off surgery on his troublesome left elbow, has been deemed healthier by the team than last year at this time. And he wound up playing regularly in 2006.

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports adds additional insight into the numbers behind the deal with Bonds;

Barry Bonds will earn the full value of his 2007 contract – $20 million, a slight raise over last year – with his 525th plate appearance for the San Francisco Giants.

Beyond his base salary of $15.8 million, Bonds will receive $500,000 at 250 plate appearances, $1 million each at 300, 375 and 450 plate appearances, and $700,000 at 525 plate appearances. When healthy, Bonds routinely had well more than 600 plate appearances.

Jack Curry of The New York Times reported Barry Bonds’ reaction to the deal;

Bonds, who has been a Giant for the past 14 seasons, and the Giants, who have embraced and endured Bonds’s exploits, have consistently proved that they are meant for one another.

“I’m just happy that it’s all over with and I’m happy that I can get back and I’m excited to get into spring training,” Bonds said.

Now that Bonds is officially a Giant, Commissioner Bud Selig can resume sweating about what is bound to be an awkward season. As long as Bonds does not get injured or go to jail, he will most likely eclipse Aaron’s record. Selig and Aaron are close friends.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 30th, 2007 at 7:26 pm and is filed under All Time Baseball Highlights, Real-Time Baseball News and Commentary, All Time Hitting Highlights, Off-Season Deals, Trades, Free Agency, Draft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.