MLB’s all-time home run leader is taking on a new challenge after his career. Former San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds will join Netflix as a baseball analyst for the 2026 season, Sports Media Watch reports.
Bonds, 61, is expected to appear in pregame and postgame shows ahead of Netflix’s MLB slate, including the March 26 opener between the Giants and New York Yankees.
advertise
Bonds will also reportedly attend the Field the Dreams game in August and, of course, provide analysis ahead of the 2026 Home Run Derby.
Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Make your choice, total prize money is $50,000
Giants legends will join the pregame and postgame desk, including host Elle Duncan and former players Anthony Rizzo and Albert Pujols. The table hit a total of 1,707 home runs in his career.
For Bonds, this is the second time in his post-retirement career that he has decided to stay in the game. A few years after retiring, Bonds joined the Miami Marlins as the team’s hitting coach for the 2016 MLB season. He was fired after just one year on the job.
advertise
Since then, Bonds has largely stayed away from the game, making occasional appearances with the Giants.
Notably, Bonds was not inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the traditional ballot due to rumors that he used steroids during his career. In the 10 seasons of eligibility, Bonds received the highest total of 66% of the vote. Candidates need to get 75% of the vote. Bonds could still be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it would have to go through a special committee. He was set to join one of the committees but failed to advance in 2023.
advertise
Despite rumors, Bonds was never suspended by Major League Baseball for testing positive for PEDs.
Bonds also had a reputation for being aloof to the media during his career. In 1996, he reportedly shoved a reporter after a game. He also provided a terse and combative answer when asked about his steroid use during his career.
However, Bonds isn’t the only once-disgraced MLB star to become a broadcaster. New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez followed a similar path after his career. Unlike Bonds, Rodriguez was suspended by Major League Baseball for taking steroids.
Rodriguez is currently eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, after five seasons of eligibility, his vote total trailed Bonds’ vote tally at the same point in the eligibility cycle.
advertise
If Rodriguez’s transition to broadcasting doesn’t restore his image with voters, it’s unlikely that Bonds’ image will change the minds of anyone in the Hall of Fame. But at least fans will get to hear the game’s greatest home run hitter knock out players in the 2026 Home Run Derby. This seems like a perfect way to leverage bonds as an analyst.