Barry Bonds nearly joined Yankees until this one thing made him change his mind
Barry Bonds came close to becoming a Yankee, and the story behind why it didn’t happen is wild. The baseball legend opened up during Opening Night on Netflix, sharing details about his 1992 free agency and how a phone call from George Steinbrenner ended any chance of him suiting up in pinstripes. Bonds was appearing on the broadcast for the New York Yankees–San Francisco Giants matchup when he finally talked about how real those negotiations were.
After back-to-back MVP seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bonds was the biggest name on the market. MORE: Cincinnati Reds mark Opening Day on showpiece gift from franchise legend The Yankees wanted him, and Steinbrenner was ready to make him the highest-paid player in MLB at the time. But then came the catch.
“George isn’t here anymore, so I can tell the truth, right? ” Bonds said. “I would’ve been the Yankees, but Steinbrenner got on the phone, and they called us, and they told me, ‘Barry, we’re gonna give you the money, highest paid player at that time.
But you have to sign the contract by 2:00 this afternoon,’ and I said, ‘Excuse me? ’ and I just hung the phone up. ” That ultimatum did not sit right with Bonds.
The tight deadline felt more like pressure than a negotiation, and he was not about to rush into a decision that big. His agent, Dennis Gilbert, called him right after to make sure he understood what he’d just walked away from. Bonds did not care.