Giant's want Bonds back in '07
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The San Francisco Giants are seriously interested in bringing back Barry Bonds, despite the notion the club might prefer to part ways with the aging slugger.
The team has been exchanging offers with Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris.
"I don't know where the story line came from that we didn't want him back," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said Monday at the winter meetings. "We've had a long-standing conversation and offer out there that we've adjusted a number of times. Because we were pursuing other players didn't mean we weren't interested in Barry. We're trying to put the best team on the field and sign other people also. I guess it was misconstrued the other way."
Sabean planned to meet Wednesday night with Borris, who didn't immediately return a call seeking comment. Borris expressed his frustrations Friday that the Giants didn't offer Bonds salary arbitration.
Sabean said Bonds, a free agent, is healthy coming off elbow surgery and the GM thinks he expects to have a better idea soon as to whether Bonds will return to San Francisco to resume his chase of Hank Aaron's home run record of 755.
"We need a presence, a fourth hitter," Sabean said. "Obviously, he can still play baseball. He can still hit a baseball and is a threat in the middle of the lineup. ... Does it make baseball sense? Yes."
The seven-time NL MVP's $90 million, five-year contract expired after the 2006 season. Bonds has indicated he would like to return to the Giants, but that was before owner Peter Magowan said on Oct. 2 that if Bonds returns he will no longer be the centerpiece of the franchise.
Bonds has spent 14 of his 21 big league seasons with San Francisco and helped the Giants draw 3 million fans in all seven seasons of their waterfront ballpark's existence.
Bonds has 734 home runs, 22 from breaking Aaron's mark. After missing all but 14 games in 2005 following three operations on his right knee, Bonds batted .270 with 26 homers and 77 RBI in 367 at-bats in 2006.
Borris has not said specifically which other teams are interested in Bonds, though the Oakland Athletics are probably a long shot. The AL West champions have turned their focus to signing Mike Piazza to be the team's designated hitter.
"I have no way of knowing" the competition, Sabean said.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
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Giant's want Bonds back in '07
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