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Marlins Will Not Retain Barry Bonds As Hitting Coach

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The Marlins have decided to part ways with hitting coach Barry Bonds, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports. This was his first season in that role, which he shared with Frank Menechino.

Bonds’s time in Miami seemed to go rather smoothly from the outside, but it appears that the arrangement may not have worked out quite as hoped behind closed doors. Manager Don Mattingly “called out” Bonds at some point in the middle of the year, after which time the latter’s “commitment level dwindled,” per Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio (via Twitter).

The major league lifetime leader in home runs for a career and for a single season, Bonds came to Miami in hopes of reclaiming a place in the game. He had seemingly been frozen out of Major League Baseball after his career with the Giants wrapped up following the 2007 season. At the time, Bonds still represented a fearsome presence at the plate, but was viewed as a major symbol of the steroid era.

It appears as if owner Jeffrey Loria was the chief supporter of Bonds, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports (Twitter links), but some players also viewed him favorably. Ultimately, it was Mattingly who seemingly drove the decision to make a change.

Bonds isn’t alone in departing the Marlins’ staff. Third base coach Lenny Harris and bullpen coach Reid Cornelius have also been cut loose, per Andy Slater of 940 AM WINZ (via Twitter).

Marlins Notes: Starting Pitching, Dunn, Bonds

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Here’s the latest from south Florida…

  • “After the Marlins come to grips with the shock and grief of losing Jose Fernandez the man, they will confront the reality of something far less important but daunting: replacing Fernandez the pitcher,” the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson writes.  There is no easy way to fill the spot of perhaps the best pitcher in the sport, particularly since the Marlins were already going to be looking for rotation upgrades anyway.  This winter’s free agent pitching market is extremely thin, and the Marlins have generally been unwilling to pay big prices on the open market.  (It probably doesn’t help that Wei-Yin Chen, last year’s big signing, struggled in his first year in Miami.)  Jackson figures the “best case scenario” for the Marlins would be to sign one of Jeremy Hellickson, Rich Hill or Ivan Nova, and then make a trade for another starter.  He suggests Adeiny Hechavarria or Derek Dietrich as possible trade chips, and the Fish could even revisit last winter’s attempt to deal Marcell Ozuna for a higher-tier arm.
  • The Marlins have “expressed preliminary interest” in re-signing Mike Dunn, the left-hander tells Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.  Dunn told the club that he “would be more than willing to come back” but is excited to be testing the free agent market for the first time in his career.  Dunn and his family are “going to go where the opportunity is.  Where that is, we don’t know.  I haven’t ruled anybody out.”  The southpaw bounced back from a somewhat disappointing 2015 season to post solid numbers this year — a 3.40 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 3.45 K/BB rate over 42 1/3 innings.  Dunn posted the lowest strikeout, grounder and walk rates of his eight-year career and his 93.6 mph average fastball velocity was his lowest since 2009.
  • Barry Bonds’ return as the club’s hitting coach in 2017 “is uncertain,” MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes.  This was the all-time home run leader’s first year on a coaching staff, and under Bonds’ tutelage, Marlins such as Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto had notable jumps in production.  Miami was a below-average offensive club overall, however, most notably in the power department (a likely product of their pitcher-friendly ballpark and an off year from Giancarlo Stanton).  Frisaro notes that some changes are expected to Don Mattingly’s coaching staff.
  • For more Miami baseball news, check out another batch of Marlins Notes from earlier today on MLBTR.

NL East Notes: Blair, Revere, Herrera, Bonds

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Top prospect Aaron Blair, acquired by the Braves in the Shelby Miller blockbuster, is a “strong possibility” to step into the Atlanta rotation on Sunday, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. While Mike Foltynewicz is another alternative, O’Brien notes that the start aligns better with Blair’s pitching schedule, and Blair has simply outperformed Foltynewicz this season. The primary reason to go with Foltynewicz over Blair would seemingly be to prevent Blair from gaining service time in an effort to avoid Super Two status, but manager Fredi Gonzalez tells O’Brien that such factors aren’t typically a concern for the organization. “I’ve been lucky, ever since I’ve been here that (delaying arbitration clock, avoiding Super Two) has never come out of anybody’s mouth,” said Gonzalez. Blair, 23, was the 36th overall pick in the 2013 draft and has allowed just three runs on 10 hits and five walks with 22 strikeouts through his first 19 innings at Triple-A this season. He rated comfortably among baseball’s top 100 prospects in the eyes of ESPN’s Keith Law (No. 39), Baseball Prospectus (No. 43) MLB.com (No. 54) and Baseball America (No. 60).

More from the NL East…

  • Nationals center fielder Ben Revere is slowly progressing toward a return, writes MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman. Revere, who strained his oblique on Opening Day, has begun running in the outfield and taking light swings, he tells Zuckerman. Though he’s a left-handed hitter, Revere is currently taking right-handed swings, per his doctors’ recommendation, in order to protect his oblique. The fleet-footed 27-year-old is still several weeks away from a return, Zuckerman notes.
  • Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera tells Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com that he has made a concerted effort to improve his plate discipline this season as he looks to cut down on his strikeouts. “Too many for a little guy, you know?” Herrera asked rhetorically in reference to last year’s total of 129 punchouts. Herrera is still striking out at the same rate in 2016 (24 percent), but as Lawrence points out he’s also walked 15 times (22.7 percent) and leads the Majors with 5.03 pitches per plate appearance. The positive trends are strong indicators for one of the players that could be a part of the next contending version of the Phillies’ lineup, Lawrence adds.
  • Barry Bonds has excelled in his new role as the Marlins’ hitting coach, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. Passan spoke to Marlins stars Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton, each of whom offered praise for the first-year hitting coach. “I want to get better,” said Gordon. “So why not let him help me get better? That would be foolish and prideful of me to be that way. He’s only the best hitter ever.” Bonds has embraced 2015 hitting coach Frank Menechino (now his assistant hitting coach) and the knowledge of Marlins hitters that he brought to the table, and he’s a down-to-Earth approach in working to educate Marlins batters in the arts of swing mechanics and the mental approach to hitting. “We’re both aware that pitchers’ meetings are about us,” Stanton told Passan. “They want to get us out. We’re the ones they focus on not to beat the other team. How do you maneuver? How do you stay patient?”

Marlins Name Barry Bonds Hitting Coach

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DEC. 4: The Marlins have now officially named Bonds their new hitting coach, with Menechino assuming the role of assistant hitting coach.

DEC. 1, 12:07pm: Bonds “tentatively plans” to take the job, Nightengale tweets, though negotiations are not yet wrapped up.

11:28am: The Marlins have been pursuing legendary-but-controversial slugger Barry Bonds to serve in a coaching capacity with the club, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported yesterday. Miami has now extended him a formal offer and is awaiting a decision, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter.

If Bonds joins the organization, he’d serve as a co-hitting coach with incumbent Frank Menechino, according to Heyman. That’s somewhat unusual in that neither would, apparently, be the assistant to the other, but presumably represents the team’s attempt to strike a balance in doling out job titles and responsibilities.

The two sides are said to be close to reaching an arrangement after holding extensive talks in recent weeks, per Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter links). At this point, it seems, the only question is whether Bonds is willing to move to Miami and take on the demands of the position.

Obviously, the possibility of a hitting coach hiring doesn’t normally draw many headlines. But in this case, the name under consideration is of particular importance. Bonds, of course, hit more home runs than any player in MLB history and came closer than anyone to eclipsing Babe Ruth in total wins above replacement. Indeed, he might have done just that had he continued his career past a 2007 campaign in which he put up a .480 OBP. But Bonds had become a toxic asset by that point — he was embroiled in PED controversy, though he ultimately was unsuccessful in proving a collusion case — and has been frozen out of the Hall of Fame thus far despite his historic excellence.

The Fish, then, would be making a highly significant move in bringing Bonds back into the baseball fold. He has already increased his public exposure and engagement with the sport recently — including serving as a spring instructor with the Giants — and the rehabilitation efforts of Alex Rodriguez and Mark McGwire have probably also cleared a path. But it would still make for a major point of transition if Bonds were to put on a uniform again.

From a team-specific perspective, Bonds is obviously as knowledgeable about the craft of hitting as anyone and is said to have genuine interest in coaching. Adding his outsized personality carries some risk, of course, to say nothing of the intense media coverage his presence will generate (at least initially). But Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is said to have developed a “friendship” with the now-51-year-old, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro, and obviously appreciates the broader dimensions of the move. Notably, the club has already installed former Yankees legend Don Mattingly as its skipper and brought back Ichiro Suzuki as he pursues the 3,000 hit milestone.

MLB Wins Collusion Case Versus Barry Bonds

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Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz has ruled in favor of Major League Baseball over Barry Bonds in the case of Bonds’ allegations of collusion against him following the 2007 season, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

Word of Bonds’ plans to pursue legal action first broke back in May, and Heyman reported at the time that Bonds had waited until the resolution of successfully-challenged felony charges (obstruction of justice) before attempting to take action against the league. Heyman now writes that Bonds worked with MLBPA lawyers in an effort to use circumstantial evidence to prove that teams conspired against him to keep him out of the game following what was a brilliant 2007 season.

Though he played much of that 2007 campaign at the age of 42 and would’ve been 43 heading into the 2008 season, Bonds put together a .276/.480/.565 batting line with 28 homers. That sky-high .480 OBP unsurprisingly led the league — the sixth time he had led the league in that category in a span of seven seasons. Nevertheless, Bonds’ then-agent Jeff Borris said early in the 2008 season that he did not receive a single offer — even one at the league minimum — for his client. Bonds even went so far as to publicly offer to play for the league minimum midway through that offseason, Heyman notes, but no offers emerged.

Heyman writes that “there was no smoking gun” in Bonds’ case, and Horowitz did not find Bonds’ side to be compelling enough to rule in his favor. Indeed, it’d be difficult to necessarily prove that there was definitive conspiracy against Bonds in spite of the fact that it was surprising at the time that no team — even an AL team with a need at DH — was willing to take on Bonds’ baggage and defensive limitations in exchange for the upside of one of the most potent bats in the game’s history.

Barry Bonds Preparing Grievance Action For Collusion

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Controversial all-time great slugger Barry Bonds is going ahead with a case against Major League Baseball alleging that he was colluded against following the 2007 season, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Bonds recently had an obstruction of justice conviction overturned, which apparently spurred the effort to proceed against MLB.

Bonds will reportedly assert that the league conspired to keep him from returning to action after the 2007 season. The home run king never found a new team after reaching free agency. 2007 was his age-42 campaign, so he was obviously past his prime, but Bonds still managed to slash an obviously productive .276/.480/.565 with 28 home runs over 477 plate appearances that year for San Francisco.  Heyman writes that Bonds’ camp waited until after resolution of his successfully-challenged felony conviction to pursue a collusion claim.

The topic was covered at length here at MLBTR at the time: Bonds’ reputation was in tatters, and there were health questions. Nevertheless, given his unrivaled productivity even at an advanced age — he led the league in OBP in 2007 and five of the six seasons before it — it remained rather remarkable that he did not receive a single offer that offseason (per his agent, Jeff Borris). That has led to various suggestions that Bonds was effectively blacklisted across the league.

As is mandated by the CBA, Bonds’ issue would first be addressed by the grievance process.  Bonds appears to be working with the MLBPA on the case.  MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, MLBPA head Tony Clark, and Borris all are said to have declined Heyman’s requests for comment.

Odds & Ends: Lowell, Paulino, Cardinals, Nationals

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Links for Sunday….

Agent: Bonds Won’t Play Again

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It's not a retirement, but Barry Bonds won't play again. Agent Jeff Borris told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that a return to baseball this year is "nearly impossible" for the all-time home run leader.

"If there was any chance he'd be back in a major-league uniform, it would have happened by now," Borris said.

It's an anti-climactic ending to one of the greatest careers ever. Bonds won seven MVPs, eight Gold Gloves, made 14 All-Star teams and is the all-time leader in homers and walks. He stole 514 bases and posted a career line of .298/.444/.607. Allegations of PED use and a reputation for surliness stain an otherwise spectacular career.

Barry Zito Signing Reactions From 2006

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On December 28th, 2006, the Giants signed 28-year-old lefty Barry Zito to a seven-year, $126MM contract with a full no-trade clause.  At the time, it was the largest deal ever for a pitcher.  Keep in mind that if Zito's 2014 option vests, his contract will end up paying $137MM.  Henry Schulman and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that the Mets and Rangers were among four teams willing to go to seven years.  The Mariners were also known to be in the mix.

Zito's first three seasons with the Giants have resulted in 568.6 innings of 4.56 ball.  Even if the option doesn't vest, Zito will still earn $83MM over the next four seasons.  It's safe to say this is one of the game's worst contracts, but let's see what people were saying at the time of the signing.

Rob Neyer, ESPN: "Based on the facts at hand, this looks to me like one of the dumber free-agent signings ever. Zito just isn't very good."

Jerry Crasnick, ESPN: "Except for his durability, Zito is not the personification of a staff ace…Still, when proven injury risks such as A.J. Burnett and Gil Meche receive five-year, $55 million deals, there's something to be said for taking the ball."

Keith Law, ESPN: "Zito should be billed for all the ink and electrons spilled over him in the last eight weeks, since the sports media seems to have fallen for the spin that he's actually some sort of ace pitcher, when in fact he's just a durable mid-rotation guy with good marketing…That's a guy you want to get into for seven years and a gazillion dollars?"

Joel Sherman, New York Post: "It is hard to criticize the Mets for not giving Zito the richest package ever for a pitcher, which is what it would have taken to sign him. There is no better predictor of durability for a pitcher than a track record of durability, which Zito has. But as one AL executive said, 'durability is finite and you always have to ask when it ends.'"

Ken Davidoff, Newsday: "In [the Mets'] sights, they had a pitcher who would have cost them only money. Who fit the team in so many ways, when there seemingly are no similar alternatives. And they whiffed."

Ben Shpigel, New York Times: "Zito will make the Giants a more formidable club in 2007, which is almost certain to be Bonds's last season in San Francisco. Assuming that Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's career home run mark next season and then says goodbye, the Giants could take the $16 million they are paying Bonds and reroute it to Zito's salary slot. In that sense, the money the Giants are paying Zito is not that outrageous."

Murray Chass, New York Times: "The Giants can boast all they want about Zito's durability, his six successive seasons of more than 200 innings and 34 or 35 starts, his history of never having been on the disabled list or even missing a start. It's still a dumb contract."

Phil Rogers, Chicago Tribune: "Yes, it's rather optimistic to give a 28-year-old lefty with diminishing stuff $18 million a year for seven years.  The question isn't whether the Giants will rue making that commitment to Zito, but how quickly will it become apparent that Scott Boras did it again?"

Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News: "Why on Earth would the Giants shell out a seven-year, $126 million contract for free agent Barry Zito? Zito's a nice pitcher, but he's a middle-of- the-rotation guy. The only No. 1 starter on the free-agent market this offseason was Jason Schmidt, and the Giants let him go."

I didn't offer much opinion on the deal, but here's the MLBTR thread from the signing in case you want to read the comments.

Odds & Ends: Bonds, Bay, Astros, Mulder

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Another stash of links for the afternoon…

  • FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal says Red Sox GM Theo Epstein will have to be creative to keep the team competitive in both the short and long-term.
  • Contrary to a report last month, Yahoo's Tim Brown says former Mets executive Tony Bernazard is not working for Scott Boras.
  • Brown talked to Barry Bonds' agent Jeff Borris, who said he has not filed retirement papers because Bonds is "not retired – he was run out of the game."
  • WEEI's Alex Speier talked to Jason Bay's agent Joe Urbon, who said "interest has been well distributed between the two leagues."
  • Astros GM Ed Wade spoke to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart about his unsettled bullpen situation.
  • Dialogue has continued between the Brewers and Mark Mulder's agent Gregg Clifton, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
  • NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passes along a report indicating the Braves are interested in 36 year-old Japanese righty Hidetaka Kawagoe.
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