Professional baseball player Barry Bonds will return to the San Francisco Giants as a spring training instructor, a move that is sure to cause some controversy in Major League Baseball.

San Jose Mercury News reports that the 49-year-old former All-Star and record breaking hitter is scheduled to come and instruct the Giants during the second week of March. Bonds has long expressed interest in helping the organization in some capacity, but hasn't been on good terms with his former team since his "retirement" in 2007.

Manager Bruce Bochy was optimistic about what Bonds could bring to the team.

"I know he's had some things on his plate," said Bochy. "Now it looks like he's got some time on his hands. He has a passion for hitting and a strong intention to get back in the game and help out hitters. He's going to be part of the great Giants who come in here and help out, the Hall of Famers, J.T. Snow, Will Clark, everyone. Barry is part of that group.

Whether or not Barry Bonds is qualified to help out the group of young hitters shouldn't be a question. A seven time MVP, 14 time All Star and eight-time Gold Glove recipient, Bonds is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He has set numerous records in the league, including most career home runs, most home runs made in a single season, most career walks and most intentional walks.

Still, Bochy's admission that Bonds has "some things on his plate" is a massive understatement. While Bonds is still a fan favorite in San Francisco, his legacy remains tainted in the baseball world due to a highly publicized scandal involving performance-enhancing drugs. In 2011, Bonds was convicted on an obstruction of justice charge for allegedly lying about whether he knowingly took illegal steroids to increase his athletic performance. As such, Bonds has yet to be elected in to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

"Do I have any regrets? What happened, happened," said Bonds after his conviction. "It's there. It is what it is. I live with it. I'm a convicted felon for obstruction of justice, and that's who I am."

Manager Bochy says he knows Bonds will lure the media cameras, but that he hopes it will not be too much of a distraction during training.