Bonilla Decision Is Expected Today; White Sox Said to Be Front-Runners

Bobby Bonilla’s agent, Dennis Gilbert, said he expects Bonilla to tell him today which offer Bonilla has chosen from the six he has received.

The Angels are one of the teams and Gilbert says they are still in the running but a source with one of the other clubs said the Chicago White Sox were the front-runners. Gilbert would not comment on that and would not indicate which direction Bonilla was leaning.

Bonilla began his career with the White Sox and was traded to the Pirates in July, 1986. He is friendly with Gene Lamont, who was Pittsburgh’s third base coach before being named the White Sox manager last week.

During the Thanksgiving weekend, Gilbert asked the Cubs, Mets and Phillies to improve their offers. Only the Mets complied, reportedly raising their bid $2 million to $26.5 million for five years. However, unlike the Phillies, Pirates and Angels, the Mets did not guarantee the fifth year of the contract. The Phillies’ offer was $25 million and the Angels’ offer was said to be in excess of $28 million.