Barry Bonds: "The Yankees offered me the same contract I think Ryan Sandberg had"
Imagine an alternative universe where a prime Barry Bonds donned the famous New York Yankees’ pinstripes.
Well, according to him, he was close to doing so in the ‘90s when the Yankee hierarchy proposed a trade for him from the San Francisco Giants. Bonds shared his take on the story while speaking with hosts Michael Kay, Alex Rodriguez, and fellow guest Roger Clemens on the Sunday Night Baseball show.
"It was very close for about 15 or 20 minutes." 😅
Barry Bonds told the story about he was almost a New York Yankee. https://t.co/qa0PS6vg3Q
"It was very close for about 15 or 20 minutes." Barry Bonds told the story about he was almost a New York Yankee.” - ESPN via Twitter
“It was very close, for about 15 or 20 minutes,” Bonds said. “Because, what happened was, and I tell people the true story, the Yankees offered me the same contract I think Ryne Sandberg had at the same time or a little bit more than that. And, unfortunately, they said you have until 2 o’clock this afternoon to make a decision, and my agent said, ‘I’ll get back to you about it.’”
The thought might have only lingered around 15-20 minutes, but the fact that Bonds’ contract matched, or even surpassed the deal negotiated with Chicago Cubs great Ryan Sandberg was definitely a surprise.
The Giants, however, came back in with a much bigger contract, and Bonds didn’t have to think twice. The deal ended up being a then-record six-year, $43.75 million contract.
Dec 8th, 1992: Barry Bonds signs a six-year, $43.75 million contract with the #SFGiants.
“It’s like a boyhood dream that came true for me. All I ever wanted to do is share something with my father. This is the greatest moment of my life.” https://t.co/GDAzaiF8p9
"Dec 8th, 1992: Barry Bonds signs a six-year, $43.75 million contract with the #SFGiants. “It’s like a boyhood dream that came true for me. All I ever wanted to do is share something with my father. This is the greatest moment of my life.” - SFGiants via Twitter
As juicy a prospect as it might have sounded, Barry sure did stay true to his words about wanting to play only for the San Francisco Giants.
In a past interview, Bonds revealed his motivation for choosing the Giants over the Yankees. Apart from it being a childhood dream, Bobby Bonds, his father, and Willie Mays, his godfather, both played for the Giants.
“As a child, I had my godfather Willie, and I had my father both on the same team. My godfather played centerfield and my father played at the rightfield. And my dream was to have the opportunity to play at the leftfield and actually really play in the same outfit with both of them on the pitch,” said Bonds.
While many will disagree with Bonds’ decision, he sure stuck to his gut and the rest, as they say, is history.
Barry Bonds is a mammoth 14-time All-Star
Barry Bonds played for 22 long seasons in the MLB. He began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and played for the San Francisco Giants for the rest of his career. Often called the perfect all-around player back in the day, Bonds is surely one of the greatest to grace the game of baseball.
During his playing years, Bonds received a record seven NL MVP awards and 12 Silver Slugger awards, along with 14 All-Star selections. He’s also won eight Gold Glove awards for his defensive play. Barry most famously holds the Major League Baseball home run record with 762.
The moment Barry Bonds hit home run No. 756 to become the all-time HR leader 👑
(via @SFGiants)
https://t.co/jH0AUl4qQC
"The moment Barry Bonds hit home run No. 756 to become the all-time HR leader. (via @SFGiants) - FOS Sports: MLB via Twitter