by T.C Leonard

Created on: September 29, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Recently sports columnist and frequent Around the Horn panelist Tim Cowlishaw polled five Texas Rangers players about adding Bonds to the Rangers' roster, and the concensus was, "Bring on Barry!" Why? The guy can flat out still hit! Bonds missed close to forty games this season because his knees couldn't handle everyday duty in the outfield, but his all-important batting stats make him a prime candidate as a DH in the American League.

Barry hit .276 this season, and that is a drop from both his recent and career stats, but his 28 homers, 66 RBI, 132 BOB, and .480 OBP would make a lot of AL teams better. If he could play in 150 games, his current home run numbers would equate to 35 HR next season, and a better lineup around him could result in 100 RBI. I'm an NL guy myself, but why wouldn't Bonds or anybody else with diminishing defensive skills take advantade of the DH rule?

Bonds may have already broken the most hallowed record in all of sports, but he is sitting on the doorstep of several great personal achievements. For starters, he's 65 hits short of 3,000. Without the home runs, 3,000 hits has put a number of players into the Hall of Fame. Barry is also 4 rbi away from 2000 and has 800 home runs as a very reachable goal. Every one of these milestones would put people in the stands, and Barry's bat could give a fringe contender a few more wins. It only makes sense!

I don't see Barry getting a spot with New York, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, or the Angels, but Seattle, Chicago, Texas, or Oakland would all be a nice fit. To break it down further, the Mariners have a starting first baseman with a .210 average and an all-star outfielder who doesn't drive in runs. I can see Barry and Ichiro teaming up for a few scores next year. The M's were close for a while this year, and a few good moves gets them closer next year. The result...Barry moves north and Seattle wins the AL west!

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