Bonds, 61, is expected to appear on pre- and post-game shows ahead of Netflix’s MLB programming, including the opening night game between the Giants and the New York Yankees on March 26.
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Bonds will also reportedly be present at the Field the Dreams game in August and will, of course, provide analysis ahead of the 2026 Home Run Derby.
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The Giants legend will join a pre- and post-game table that includes host Elle Duncan and former players Anthony Rizzo and Albert Pujols. It’s a desk that has combined for an absurd 1,707 career home runs.
For Bonds, it is the second time in his post-playing career that he has decided to stay in the sport. A few years after his retirement, Bonds joined the Miami Marlins as the team’s hitting coach for the 2016 MLB season. He was fired after only one year on the job.
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Since then, Bonds has mostly stayed away from the game, making occasional appearances with the Giants.
Notably, Bonds failed to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in its traditional voting due to rumors of steroid use throughout his career. In the 10 seasons in which he was eligible, the highest vote total Bond received was 66 percent. Candidates must receive 75 percent of the vote. Bonds can still be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he would need to do so through a special committee. He has already been a candidate for induction as part of one of those committees, but did not make the cut in 2023.
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Despite rumors, Bonds was never suspended by MLB for a positive PED test.
Throughout his career, Bonds was also known for being distant with the media. In 1996, he allegedly shoved a journalist after a game. He also provided concise and combative answers when asked about steroid use during his career.
Bonds, however, won’t be the only previously disgraced MLB star to become a broadcaster. New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez took a similar path once his career ended. Unlike Bonds, Rodriguez was suspended by MLB for his connection to steroids.
Rodriguez is currently eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, after five seasons of eligibility, his vote total trails Bonds’ at the same point in his eligibility cycle.
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If Rodriguez’s transition to broadcasting failed to rehabilitate his image with voters, Bonds is unlikely to change his mind in the Hall of Fame. But at least fans will get to hear the game’s best home run hitter analyze players in the Home Run Derby in 2026. That seems like the perfect way to use Bonds as an analyst.