Jeff Bagwell: Pure Speculation

After seeing Frank Thomas rebound from what was an injury plagued 2005, turning himself into a dynamite DH, and now signing a very lucrative contract with the Blue Jays, what do you think Jeff Bagwell is thinking? It seems as if he will likely retire, but he has filed for free agency, and there have been a few hints that perhaps he'd like to play again.

Of course, Thomas signed a pretty cheap contract with the A's last year, and his injuries were not as severe as Bagwell's. But, these were arguably the two most productive fistbasemen in their respective leagues during the 1990's. Both went through strife with the only team they had played for (before Thomas moved to Oakland last season), both were coming off injury plagued seasons.

Wouldn't it be fun, just once more, to see Jeff Bagwell hit a baseball? The odd stance, legs akimbo, that we have all tried to replicate with much more pain than success. The consumate professionalism he brought to the game. Announcers once more bringing up the fact that this guy was a prospect traded from the Red Sox for Larry Anderson.

I doubt Bagwell will play next season. It could be that his shoulder is so far gone that he cannot effectively swing a bat. It could be that he just can't bear to play for a team other than his beloved Astros. And both of those reasons are completely valid. And if he retires tomorrow, he's had a great career and could end up in Cooperstown.

But if he does not to retire. If he feels that there might be a little bit of the old magic still in his aching shoulder. If he decides to take a page from the Big Hurt's playbook and sign somewhere unexpected for a reduced rate, just to show that he can still play the game he loves, well, it'd be great to see. I just hope my knees can handle another full season of imitating his stance after every at-bat.