OK -- i'm with you that Bonds himself doesn't destroy a team, and that, in terms of winning games, signing him is smart. (i'm not sure anyone outside the Bay Area should sign him economically though, because, CONTRARY to what you say, Bay Area fans are the ONLY ones who adore and forgive Bonds.)

i also might agree that his infractions are unfairly spotlighted by the media, because he doesn't play nice with them.

but Barry Bonds has been a self-absorbed prick, almost universally hated by teammates, his entire career, from his early days as a prima donna on the Pirates to his late days, lounging in his personal lockerroom La-Z-Boy on the Giants.

Jeff Kent is not the only player who's thought Barry doesn't care about anything besides Barry. until this past year, where it's been the PC thing to say, nobody in the Giants clubhouse had anything kind to say to him.

also, your causation of the "not-talking-to-the-press" thing, as i'm sure you know, is untrue. again, he's had to be restrained from screaming at the media from back when he was a skinny boy in Pittsburgh. the hatred of the media comes from his father's experience.

anyway, i don't think being a clubhouse cancer matters, but Barry Bonds most certainly is  one if there are any. again, other people may be just as bad, and not get the reputation since they're kinder to the press. but that doesn't make Barry Bonds less self-centered and filled with hatred and anger.

being the moral pariah Congress has turned him into may make him not worth signing.

"Barry's college teammates voted 22-2 against him returning to the team after the manager suspended him for team violations.  Apparently, the manager did not expect this vote when he set it up and overruled the team."

i'll keep searching if you want more specific examples of his teammates hating him.

may have been too strong a word. But he will definitely bring negative attention to the team, with all the press that follows him. I just don't think he is a positive person to bring into a relatively decent locker room. Sure a couple players on the team have had minor run-ins with the law or steroids, that happens with almost every team.

If Bonds were just Bonds without all the steroid allegations (which I believe) and the egocentric beliefs, and everything else he came with, I would be thrilled with the idea of Bonds the player joining the Mariners. But unfortunately, Bonds the person has to come with the player.

And, I think he would likely be overpaid for his services. Face it, he is in his mid-40s now and can't play every day. His defense has become a liability, and he won't hit 30 HRs. Basically, his greatest attribute now is his reputation as a slugger and pitch selection which allows him to get on base at a .400+ clip. He's probably wanting in the neighborhood of 12-18 million for the season, and I don't think he is worth it as a player.

Now, if I were on the business side of the Mariners Front Office, I think I would push for it. If Bonds can get an extra 800,000 people in the seats, at say an average of $20 per seat, that's 16 million right there. Plus concessions and other stuff.

But as a general manager, I would be against it. There are still a lot of young players on that team (Felix, Bedard, Lopez, Betancourt, Clement, Wlad, Beltre, etc) and I would not want Bonds to have any negative impact on them. I have no proof, but I sincerely doubt Bonds is the type of player to help out youngsters or take them under his wing. So veteran leadership isn't a selling point.