Barry Bonds Almost Joined Yankees? Giants Legend Explains How Contract Deadline Altered MLB History

Legendary outfielder Barry Bonds revealed that he almost joined the New York Yankees and received a contract offer from former owner George Steinbrenner in free agency.

"I would have been a Yankee but Steinbrenner got on the phone, they called us," Bonds said on Wednesday's broadcast of a clash between the Yankees and San Francisco Giants. "They told me, 'Barry, we're gonna give you the money, the highest-paid player at that time. But you have to sign the contract by 2:00 this afternoon.' I said, 'Excuse me?' And I just hung the phone up."

"By the time I walked down the street to go get lunch I said, 'Let me just think about this.' The Giants called me and I said, 'I'm going home.'"

Bonds played for San Francisco from 1993 through 2007.

He spent the first seven years of his career as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting 176 home runs and winning two National League MVP awards during his tenure with the club.

Bonds eventually signed a six-year contract worth $43.75 million with the Giants in Dec. 1992, becoming the highest-paid player in baseball history at the time.

He went on to secure 12 All-Star nods and five more MVP honors in San Francisco, helping the team make a World Series appearance in 2002.

While the Yankees weren't able to land Bonds after the 1992 season, they went on to win four World Series titles over the next eight years.