After being found guilty of collusion several times in the 1980s and 1990s, including being assessed millions of dollars in damages, one would think MLB owners would be very careful about colluding again. Yet it seems the MLBPA thinks that may be why no team made a bid for Barry Bonds. The Sports Network reports the story.
Report: MLBPA to file grievance over potential Bonds collusion
New York, NY (Sports Network) – The Major League Baseball Players Association has reportedly found evidence that team owners acted in collusion to keep former Giants slugger Barry Bonds from playing in the majors this season.
MLB.com cited Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris, in stating that it’s not if a grievance will be filed but when, and that the union has agreed with the commissioner’s office to delay the filing of such a grievance until an unspecified time.
Baseball’s all-time home run leader at 762, Bonds sat out the entire 2008 season and asked the union in May to consider filing a grievance after he was unable to find a home as a free agent. A 15-year stint with San Francisco ended in 2007 when the team informed him he would not be returning.
Bonds is still in the midst of defending 14 counts of perjury and one obstruction of justice charge in a case with ties to his alleged use of performance-enhancing substances brought against him by the federal attorney’s office in San Francisco.
One suspects that the decision to file the grievance at an “unspecified time” is baseball-speak for “after the World Series”. Surely neither side wants to distract fans from the Fall Classic.
It will be interesting to see if there is any evidence of collusion or if the only evidence is that no team would offer Bonds a contract.
