MLB's all-time home-run leader is taking on a new post-career challenge. Former San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds is joining Netflix as abaseball analystfor the 2026 season, the company announced Thursday.
Bonds, 61, is expected to appear on pre- and post-game programs ahead of Netflix's MLB slate, including the opening night game between the Giants and the New York Yankees on March 25.
Bonds will also reportedly be present for the "Field of Dreams" game in August and, of course, provide analysis ahead of the 2026 Home Run Derby. Those are the three major MLB events that will be streamed on Netflix in 2026.
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The Giants' legend will join a pre- and post-game desk that includes host Elle Duncan and former players Anthony Rizzo and Albert Pujols. It's a desk that has combined for an absurd 1,707 career home runs.
For Bonds, it marks the second time in his post-playing career that he's decided to hang around the game. A few years after his retirement, 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.
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Since then, Bonds has mostly stayed away from the game, making occasional appearances with the Giants.
Notably, Bonds failed to gain induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame on its traditional ballot due to rumors of steroid use over his career. In the 10 seasons in which he was eligible, the highest vote total Bonds received was 66%. Candidates need to receive 75% of the vote for enshrinement. Bonds can still get into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but would need to do so through a special committee. He has already been up for induction as part of one of those committees, but did not make the cut in 2023.
Despite the rumors, Bonds was never suspended by MLB for a positive PED test.
Over his career, Bonds was also known for being standoffish with the media. In 1996, he reportedlyshoved a reporterafter a game. He also provided terse and combative answerswhen asked about steroid useduring his career.
Bonds, however, won't be the only formerly disgraced MLB star to become a broadcaster. New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez took a similar path once his career ended. Unlike Bonds, Rodriguez wassuspended by MLBfor his connection to steroids.
Rodriguez is currently eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. After five seasons, though, his vote totals are lagging behind Bonds' at the same point in his eligibility cycle.
If Rodriguez's transition into broadcasting couldn't rehabilitate his image with the voters, Bonds' is unlikely to change any minds over at the Hall of Fame. But at least fans will get to hear the game's greatest home-run hitter break down players at the 2026 Home Run Derby. That seems like the perfect way to utilize Bonds as an analyst.