Pirates Say They Can’t Afford Not to Trade Bonds

The Pittsburgh Pirates, shaken by Bobby Bonilla’s $29 million contract with the New York Mets, apparently believe they can’t re-sign Barry Bonds and will try to trade him immediately.

General Manager Larry Doughty said Tuesday he will contact the general managers of California teams to see what interest they have in the 1990 National League most valuable player. Bonds, who is building a house in San Diego, has talked often of returning to the West Coast.

If Bonds were to play in Pittsburgh in 1992 and then sign elsewhere as a free agent, the Pirates would receive only a draft choice as compensation.

Doughty, apparently under orders to trim the payroll in 1992, hinted a Bonds deal could come even before next week’s winter meetings in Miami.

“If we’re going to trade him, now’s the time. . . . It’s always easier to trade a guy before the last year of his contract,” he said. “It might be too late to wait until (the winter meetings). We have to find out our options now.”

Bonds, the 1991 MVP runner-up, has 58 homers and 230 runs batted in over the last two seasons, including career highs of 33 homers in 1990 and 116 RBIs last season. He also has won two consecutive Gold Glove awards for defense.

“Barry knows he’s a better player than Bobby and he’ll tell you so,” Doughty said. “He knows if he’s a better player, he should want more money. I think everybody knows that. Somebody out there in the baseball world is going to pay Barry Bonds more money than Bobby Bonilla is being paid.”

If Bonilla is worth $5.8 million a year, Doughty said it is clear that Bonds is worth $6 million-plus. The Pirates’ 1991 payroll was a reported $26.1 million.

“We’re trying to cut our payroll, not double it,” Doughty said.