Bonds pursuing comeback

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Barry Bonds is open to making a comeback. Whether any team wants him, that’s the tricky part.

Now that Bonds’ federal trial has been delayed at least until July, the agent for baseball’s home run king plans to contact all 30 major league clubs once again to determine whether there’s a place for the slugger.

“I’m still not optimistic,” agent Jeff Borris said Tuesday by telephone from spring training in Arizona.

The 44-year-old Bonds last played in 2007 with the San Francisco Giants. The Tampa Bay Rays toyed with the idea of signing Bonds for 2008, but he sat out while under indictment for lying to a federal grand jury when he testified he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds has pleaded not guilty.

A seven-time NL MVP, Bonds has 762 home runs. A left fielder for most of his career, he also was a designated hitter in interleague games. Bonds is healthy and ready to play, Borris said.

“I would tell you that I don’t think it’s a very good fit for us right now,” Minnesota general manager Bill Smith said.