Boston Sports Extra

Asking Price that led to Arbitration

The Red Sox only offered $7.5 million, which was substantially lower than the $10.5 million that was asked for. This is Betts’s first year being eligible for arbitration, and he now has the largest first year case win in the MLB. Mookie has been part of the team for several years and definitely earned the $10.5 million. His agent put out the asking price this offseason, and it raised some eyebrows. The Sox put up $3 million less in rebuttal. The Red Sox eventually gave Mookie the $10.5 million and he won his arbitration hearing. There are problems that the Sox organization will now face when it comes to working with Mookie and his agent. This is going to be because the hearing had to happen so late in the offseason.

Trouble in Paradise due to Arbitration

The biggest problem is the length of time that it took to come to an agreement. Both Mookie and his agent have grown to love the city of Boston and the organization itself. The question being asked now is how long will Mookie stay in Boston? The organization only offered $7.5 million, which can cause Mookie to see that they were not interested in him enough to raise his salary. Going into an arbitration deal is never something that a player wants, but there are pros and cons to the hearing. If the organization only wanted to offer the $7.5 million, do they plan to keep Mookie in Boston? Through the arbitration, Mookie and his agent may feel as though the Sox are not as interested in the right fielder anymore.

Why did the Sox go into Arbitration?

The Red Sox still are trying to get a power hitter. Maybe the reason was that they did not know how much money they wanted to offer. With Mookie playing at the level he is, there was never talk of a trade, but there was also never a talk about a raise. The Red Sox organization has had there focus on obtaining a power hitter. Due to that, they have neglected current players or those who hold other positions. Mookie Betts was never in trade talk, but they also never discussed keeping him around for many years.

Sources

Boston Red Sox

Boston Globe

Barry Bonds belongs in the Hall of Fame. Whether you believe he is the legitimate home run king, or you hate how he helped make a mockery of the game, or you think he is a jackass, he remains one of the greatest outfielders to ever play the game. He was one of the best all-around players in the game without steroids and was already a slam dunk for the Hall.

Pre-Steroids

Barry Bonds’ career began in 1986. By 1990 he had broken out and won the MVP Award. He then proceeded to win two more MVPs and finish 2^nd in the other vote over the next three seasons. Bonds presumably played clean through the 1998 season. At that point he already had three MVPs, eight Gold Gloves and seven Silver Sluggers. Bonds had also slugged 411 home runs and stolen 445 bases, making him the first player ever to hit that many homers and steal that many bases. Oh, he was also 34 years old and at the top of his game. He had plenty of time to add to those stats. He had achieved all-time great status, a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.

Not even going back to his days in Pittsburgh, the picture on the right is Barry Bonds circa 1996. The one on the left is in 2007.

Steroids

Bonds’ ego probably led to his steroid use. With McGwire and Sosa chasing home run records and getting all the attention, Bonds likely looked at them with disgust thinking “I’m better than those guys.” Bonds was also coming back from injury that season, missing the season’s first couple months. He could have taken some substances to come back from injury faster. That season, turning 35 in July, Bonds posted his best home runs per-at-bat ratio of any season during his career. During each of the next six seasons he posted an even lower HR/AB ratio. Steroids made guys like McGwire and Sosa and others home run machines. Barry Bonds had reached all-time great status; steroids made him a video game character. From 2000-2004, Bonds batted .339 and averaged 52 home runs per season. His 174 walks per season aided in giving him an outrageous slash line of .535/.781/1.316. That’s just absurd. In 2004, at the age of 40, he racked up a .609 on base percentage. He really did make a mockery of the game and the record books, but he illustrated the problem with steroids and what it can help guys accomplish.

Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hits his 714th career home run, tying Babe Ruth for second place on the all time home run list. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Conclusion

Would Bonds be the all-time home run king if he had played clean? No. Would he have a .444/.607/1.051 slash line? Again, no. But during the first nine years of the 90s he had a .438/.600/1.038 slash line while averaging 36 home runs and 36 stolen bases per season. And those seasons I bet he played clean. He would probably still own 500-500 club solo, while winning plenty of awards along the way. I don’t think he gets in this year with such a crowded ballot. However, the Hall of Fame exists for the greatest players to ever play, and you cannot have that without Bonds.