Agent: Bonds will wait to sign

Commissioner's office rejects original contract

? Barry Bonds’ contract with the San Francisco Giants isn’t final just yet.

After the commissioner’s office rejected Bonds’ $15.8 million, one-year deal because it contained a personal-appearance provision, the team sent revised documents to his agent, Jeff Borris.

“At this time, Barry is not signing the new documents,” Borris said Wednesday.

Baseball’s Uniform Player Contract states a player “agrees to cooperate with the club in any and all reasonable promotional activities.” Bonds’ contract had additional language that the commissioner’s office rejected.

Borris did not detail the provisions in dispute, but a baseball executive, speaking on condition of anonymity because these details had not been made public, said they dealt with personal appearances.

After several disputes, lawyers for the union and the commissioner’s office agreed last fall that no additional appearance provisions would be accepted in future player contracts. It was not yet clear Wednesday whether Bonds must sign a new contract or whether the one he already signed would be accepted with the troublesome language eliminated.

Bonds and the Giants, who agreed to financial terms Dec. 7, said Monday the drawn-out agreement had been finalized.

Still, they disagree on the meaning of an unusual provision in the deal relating to Bonds’ potential legal problems. In the contract, a list of acts is spelled out in a section.

“Player acknowledges and agrees that an indictment for any criminal act under (that section) … is proper grounds for termination of this contract,” Bonds’ contract states.