Barry Bonds reveals how close he came to signing with the Yankees

The 2026 MLB season finally kicked off last night (Wednesday) with a game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants, a matchup the Yankees won 7-0.

But that wasn't what caught everyone's attention. During the Netflix broadcast of the opening game, Barry Bonds was invited into the commentary booth and shared an incredible story about a little-known moment that changed the history of baseball.

Barry Bonds says he hung up on George Steinbrenner after he offered him the largest contract in baseball at the time.
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Bonds then revealed that he was on the verge of signing with the Yankees as a free agent in 1992, before deciding to join the Giants in his hometown. And the reason he didn't is fascinating.

I have to tell you a story because George isn't here anymore, so I can tell the truth. I would have been a Yankee, but Steinbrenner picked up the phone, called us, and they told me, “Barry, we're going to give you the money—the highest-paid player at the time—but you have to sign the contract by 2 p.m. this afternoon.” ” And I said, “Excuse me?” And I just hung up.

It's completely crazy, but despite everything, Bonds hadn't completely closed the door on the Bronx team and wanted to think it over. The Giants, however, knew how to seize the opportunity.

I went to lunch with Dennis Gilbert, my agent, and he said, “Do you know what you just did?” And just as I started eating and said, “Let me just think about it,” the Giants called me and I said, “I'm heading home.”

At the time, Bonds was the reigning National League MVP from 1992, as he entered the free-agent market. He had won two MVP awards as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and was among the best players in Major League Baseball.

In the end, Bonds never won a World Series as a player, and the Yankees won four while he was with the Giants.

Everything could have been different if Steinbrenner had allowed him to sign the contract on his own terms.

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