In Case Of Emergency: Barry Lamar

While the Nation holds their breath in anticipation of a David Ortiz return slated to begin around the end of the month, there still lies the possibility our Papi will never be able to find his pre-wrist injury form. The two sessions of batting practice prior to the last couple games against Minnesota have gone swimmingly, surely a positive start on the road to recovery. But, if you recall, Curt Schilling’s initial “rehab” mound sessions were also successful prior to his ultimate season-ending surgery.

The odds right now point to Ortiz returning and molding back into form. And the question I will pose is only if the opposite occurs with Big Papi. If he cannot regain his strength, if every swing and miss causes immense pain, if the only way to salvage the sluggers career is to end the show for 2007, if the Red Sox find themselves with a gaping hole in the middle of the lineup, is Barry Bonds a possible alternative? It’s not guaranteed Ortiz returns anywhere near 100%, so the dreaded Bonds question has to be evaluated because of the positives.

The number one positive for Bonds is the low risk involved. With no team willing to give him a major league deal yet this winter or summer, he could be desperate to return to the field and swing a bat again. His prior off-base statements about Boston should be discredited, and all Bonds would cost Theo and the brass is money. While an acquisition of Adam Dunn would cost elite prospects, and any trade for Mark Teixeira would cost even better prospects and a position headache, Bonds can DH with Ortiz out, hit third in the order to protect Manny, and it would cost Boston little.

As much as people love to bash Bonds because of his attitude or run-ins, the man still produced for the Giants even in his final year. In 340 AB for the Giants, even at 43 years of age, Bonds hit 28 HR, slugged .565, totaled 192 bases, and drove in 66 runs. The best part of Barry’s game is also what separates him from his peers: the best batting eye in the history of baseball. 2007: .480 OBP, 132/54 BB/K. Career: .444 OBP, 2558 BB/1539 K. These are mind-boggling numbers.

Of course, the negatives and the baggage with Bonds are numerous. He’s hated around baseball and it may be difficult for Red Sox fans to embrace him (until his first GW homer, of course). He often isolates himself in the clubhouse and can disrupt chemistry, a concern depending on how much you value that sort of thing. Also, how much has Bonds picked up a bat the last year or so? Would he be able to get himself prepared for, say, the last part of August and the entire month of September? That’s the tricky part: At what point do you pull the plug on Ortiz and look for other options? By mid-August past the deadline, only Bonds may be standing as the best option.

Also, Bonds could make the Red Sox the new most hated team around the nation. The media circus would be overwhelming, causing players to become annoyed or sick of the clubhouse atmosphere prior and post every game Bonds plays in. For many, he’s just incredibly difficult to root for. How would fans/players react if Bonds had to miss a game for a court date? The best case scenario for Bonds, if signed, is him turning into a Randy Moss type with the Red Sox and shedding the arrogant smugness, but who knows? Would a World Series be somehow tarnished if Bonds is a member of the team, off the PED’s or not?

I don’t want to go on too long with this because of A) the odds Ortiz will return fine and this will be a moot point and, B) the odds Barry Bonds actually agrees to sign with the Red Sox. But it makes fantastic discussion, and if the situation arises where the Sox need a left-handed slugger for the stretch run, it’d be foolish if the Red Sox didn’t discuss signing Bonds internally.