Has Jay Gibbons Been a Victim of Collusion?

There's been a lot of discussion about possible collusion by major league teams to keep Barry Bonds from continuing his career. For all his foibles, the man can still rake and it's surprising that no team is willing to hold their nose long enough to benefit from his 1000 or so OPS.

Buster Olney writes at ESPN.com that other players tainted by the Mitchell Report can't seem to find work either. He mentions Nook Logan and Jay Gibbons, late of the Orioles, as two players who aren't getting sniffs. He also includes a copy of a letter that Gibbons has written to all 30 major league teams.

All I need is a chance -- any chance -- anywhere. I am more than willing to begin the process of proving that I can and will be a productive major league player by playing in the minor leagues.

As you know, I have played seven seasons in the big leagues and have hit 20-plus homeruns in three seasons and have hit .277 in three seasons (2003, 2005 and 2006). At 31 years old, I have NO DOUBT that my best baseball is ahead of me.

I have some doubts about that. I'd never tell a man to give up his dream of playing in the big leagues but Gibbons doesn't have a ton of great baseball ahead of him. The only interesting thing about Gibbons's career is that he hit .277 in three separate seasons.

Honestly, it is. In three years with varying amounts of at-bats, ending up with exactly the same average is pretty impressive. Being a 31-year old corner outfielder with injury problems and minimal power isn't impressive, though. It's hard to see how the Mitchell Report is playing more of a role than that in costing Gibbons big league employment.

The problem with Olney's thesis is that Logan and Gibbons were both marginal players before teams had a reason to look in different directions. The idea that there's collusion against players named in the Mitchell Report or otherwise painted with the PED brush is hard to support. It didn't hurt Paul Lo Duca or Jose Guillen, for example, and wouldn't hurt either of the guys Olney mentions if they were better players. Not that Lo Duca is a good player but that's a different post for a different time.

At any rate, don't cry too much for Gibbons. He's guaranteed $12 million from the Orioles over the next two years and his desire to keep playing has met with success. Not in the big leagues but with a team in the independent Atlantic League where, if he plays well enough, he might generate enough interest for another shot.