Barry Bonds Claiming He Hung up on George Steinbrenner During Free Agency Has Fans Losing It: “Generational Fumble”

Barry Bonds spent 15 seasons with the San Francisco Giants from 1993 to 2007 and set several MLB records, while also becoming the all-time home run leader.

Barry Bonds Claiming He Hung up on George Steinbrenner During Free Agency Has Fans Losing It: “Generational Fumble”

Barry Bonds (Image via Imago)

As the 2026 MLB season got underway, Barry Bonds revealed a major story. The ex-San Francisco Giants star opened up about a phone call during free agency with late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, and claimed that he hung up on him.

The Yankees and the Giants kicked off the new season on Wednesday at Oracle Park. In the Opening Game of the season, Bonds would join the broadcasting booth on Netflix.

During this, the MLB all-time home run leader shared an incredible story of his career. He would reveal how close he was to signing with the Yankees in 1992.

Well, I would’ve been a Yankees but (George) Steinbrenner got on the phone and they called us and they told me, ‘Barry, we’re gonna give you the money, the highest-paid player … but you have to sign the contract by 2:00 this afternoon. And I said, ‘Excuse me? And I just hung the phone up.

Barry Bonds said via Netflix

After 7 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992, Bonds would become an unrestricted free agent. He was the reigning National League MVP when he became a free agent after the 1992 season.

There had been reports that the Giants, the Yankees and the Atlanta Braves were trying to sign him. In the end, the player chose the Giants and joined them on a then-record 6-year, $43.75 million deal.

His father, Bobby Bonds, had played 8 seasons for the Giants from 1968 to 1974. So, he would grow up watching his father playing in the Bay Area.

The left-handed hitter went on to break several records during his 15 seasons with the Giants. He set a league record for the most home runs hit in a single season at 73 in 2001.

In his 22-year MLB career, he won the MVP award 7 times, becoming the first player to win it 4 or more times. In 2007, he overtook Hank Aaron and set a new record for the most home runs by a player at 762.

Social media reacts to Barry Bonds story regarding Yankees

On Wednesday, Barry Bonds revealed that he was close to joining the New York Yankees. The player however, did not seem to be pleased with the ultimatum provided by George Steinbrenner and hang up on him.

Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds (Image via X/@TalkinBaseball)

Fans on social media would go into a frenzy after this. Many would share some wild reactions while calling out the 14-time MLB All-Star. One user on X wrote, “Generational fumble” while making their feelings known.

Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

Speaking of the Yankees-Giants game, Bonds’ former employees lost 7-0. A strong performance from the mound from starting pitcher Max Fried helped the Bronx Bombers start off the new season on a positive note.

What if Barry Bonds had joined the Yankees instead of the Giants?

Barry Bonds shared that he would have been a New York Yankees star had he not received an ultimatum from George Steinbrenner. Him recalling his incident has once again raised the what if question.

Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds (Image via X/@UnderdogMLB)

First of all, the short porch in the Yankees’ right field would have been a paradise for Bonds. The slugger, who hit 586 home runs with the Giants, could have had more. He could have been the first player to hit 800 home runs.

Secondly, Bonds would have got a World Series ring. Despite his individual brilliance, he was unable to help the Giants win the World Series title.

In his career spanning over two decades, he made only one World Series appearance. In the 2002 Fall Classic against the Anaheim Angels, the Giants lost in Game 7. Bonds batted with .471 average and had 8 hits, 2 doubles, 4 home runs, 6 runs batted in during the series.

The Yankees, on the other hand, built another dynasty. After winning the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, the Bronx Bombers three-peated the title from 1998 to 2000, beating the San Diego Padres, the Atlanta Braves (again) and the New York Mets, respectively.

Bonds was also alleged to have used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). This left a major stain on his career as he failed to make it to the MLB Hall of Fame.

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