Editors’ Note: This is an updated version of a story that was originally published on Dec. 22, 2021. It includes new information about Jeff Kent’s Hall of Fame case, as well as the voting results from last year’s election.
Before the Giants started a dynasty in the early 2010s with a cast of lovable oddballs and outcasts, they tried to win their first World Series since moving to the Bay Area in 1958 with a core anchored by two of the surliest sluggers in the league.
Barry Bonds was drawn to San Francisco in 1993 by what was at the time the largest contract in MLB history (six years, $43.75 million) and the allure of playing for the same team where his father and godfather starred. Jeff Kent was one of four players traded to the Giants in ’96 by Cleveland for fan favorite third baseman Matt Williams, a swap so detested by the team’s fans that new GM Brian Sabean had to clarify he was “not an idiot” in a press conference days after the deal.
