Barry Bonds Net Worth: How much did MLB's Home Run King make from contracts in his career?

Barry Bonds is probably the most prolific hitter of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He is ranked second all-time in WAR, which purports to measure the actual value of a player, coming behind only Babe Ruth.

Bond's career was also marred by scandals and controversies. Despite hitting more home runs in a single season than any other player in history, his record was discounted due to his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

His central role in the 2007 steroids scandal severaly damaged his reputation. It is the main contributing factor to Barry Bonds' failure to make the Baseball Hall of Fame after ten years of ineligibility.

Bonds was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the second round of the 1982 MLB Draft. The Giants offered him $70,000 - the equivalent of about $220,000 in 2022 - but Bonds declined, opting instead to attend Arizona State University.

"Barry Bonds, circa 1983 @ASU_Baseball" - @ Vintage Jerseys and Hats

In 1985, Bonds was drafted again, this time going sixth overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team signed him to a one-year deal worth $150,000. Bonds went on to hit 16 home runs and 48 RBIs in his rookie season with the Pirates, leading to him finishing sixth overall in NL MVP voting.

Bonds would play seven seasons for the Pirates, under six separate one-year deals that made him a total of roughly $8.7 million. The largest of these was a $4.7 million deal that he signed with the Pirates in 1992, as the ink dried, he went on the win his second NL MVP Award in three seasons.

Barry Bonds' departure from the Pirates after 1992 marked the first time that Bonds was eligible for some big-money. Prior to the 1993 season, he signed a six-year deal worth $43 million with the San Francisco Giants. He hit 46 home runs and 123 RBIs - leading the league in both categories - and won the third MVP Award of his career with the Giants in 1993.

"Dec 8th 1992: Barry Bonds signs a six-year, $43.75 million contract with the @SFGiants “It’s like a boyhood dream that came true for me. All I ever wanted to do is share something with my father. This is the greatest moment of my life.”" - @ SF Giants

In 1999, Bonds signed a two-year deal worth some $22.9 million. Upon the contract's expiry in 2002, he signed another deal for $90 million over the next five years, which gave him a $10 million signing bonus .

Bonds was named the best player of the 1990s by famed baseball writer Bill James. In 2006, the final year of his deal, Bonds hit his 715th career home run against the Colorado Rockies, surpassing Babe Ruth in career home runs.

Bonds went on to sign his final contract before the 2007 season. It was a one-year deal for $15.8 million. Barry Bonds retired after the 2007 season with 762 career home runs, the most in history. Over his entire career, Bonds raked in about $175 million from his massive contracts.

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Barry Bonds is proof that money cannot buy prestigue

Like former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, who looks to be drifting towards a similar fate, Bonds remains as controversial as he is celebrated. His PED use has marked his stellar profile with a big, ugly asterix that he may never be able to fully shake off.