SI.com’s Jon Heyman has the distinct displeasure of taking yet another call from the Sultan of Surly’s representative.
After the Giants declined to offer salary arbitration to Barry Bonds on Friday night, Bonds’ longtime agent Jeff Borris questioned whether Bonds is a priority for San Francisco and threatened a possible move for the slugger, who is just 22 home runs from breaking Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record.
“I feel the Giants may have the perception he will not play elsewhere. I think that would be a miscalculation on their part,” Borris told SI.com late Friday night.
“Maybe they figure they can take care of guys like Rich Aurilia and Ray Durham and they can always worry about Barry later because Barry will always be there for them. But that would be an error in judgment on their part.”
“The fact the Giants didn’t offer arbitration shows their true feelings. Obviously, Barry is not a priority,” Borris said. “It’s well documented they were after Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, Gary Matthews Jr. and Juan Pierre, and they offered Jason Schmidt arbitration. So, obviously, he’s not a priority on their list.
“The thing that’s really disappointing is that when the Giants were mathematically eliminated, Barry should have been their No. 1 priority and the situation should have been addressed at that time.”
Keep in mind, it was a week ago that Borris was quoted in The Paper Of Record, claiming other teams has their managers and players calling Barry in attempts to woo the sensitive slugger. Based on his latest comments to Heyman, I think we can presume one or more of the following things ;
a) Borris and Bonds are the only two persons in the baseball world unaware the Giants’ feelings about the Soon-To-Be HR King are mixed, to say the least.
b) Both individuals suck at taking a hint.
c) That business about other clubs chasing Barry was a total fabrication by a man desperate not to end up on the wrong side of a brooding, verbally abusive lummox.