Mets "Laugh Off" Idea of Signing Bonds

It would have been the perfect storm of booing. Barry Bonds in a Mets uniform would've been like Christmas for Philly fans, who would have used their creative talents to boo the roided out slugger mercilessly. It also would have been scary, because the man can still swing the bat at an elite level.

The Mets have some serious injury issues in their outfield, with Moises Alou the latest to go down. Buster Olney made the suggestion yesterday that the Mets should sign Bonds, arguing that he is the best talent out there that can be acquired using only money. While Bonds can't play the field very well anymore, the middle of the Mets lineup would be frightening, with Bonds, Beltran and Wright all capable of 30 home runs and 100 RBI's.

Fortunately, the Mets are not interested. Mets GM Omar Minaya quickly dismissed the idea, stating that the team will "go with someone internal" to fill in until Alou comes back. The Mets have reportedly "laughed off" the idea, inferring that it would be foolish to sign someone with the kind of baggage that Bonds brings to a team.

While Bonds would be a pain in the ass, he would make the Mets better. If the Mets have a weakness, it's in the corner outfield positions, where they have two injured veterans, Moises Alou and Ryan Church. If both players miss a significant amount of time, the Mets would be forced to turn to Damon Easley and former Phillie Endy Chavez. It's hard to imagine a team with those two weak hitters in the corner outfield spots.

While Phillies fans would be both scared and excited to see Bonds playing for the Mets, it looks unlikely. The Phillies have a massive advantage over the Mets with their outfield, with Pat Burrell and Geoff Jenkins easily better than anything the Mets will trot out to their corner outfield positions, even if Alou and Church are healthy. Barry Bonds would tip the scales back towards the Mets, but luckily the Mets have decided they don't need yet another aging, injury-prone outfielder.