It’s officially July 1st, which means it’s Bobby Bonilla Day, giving the now-retired former ballplayer a hefty payment from the New York Mets. Of course, this is nothing new.
Bonilla hasn’t played since 2001, but somehow he and his agent convinced the Mets to defer payments on his contract following a rough season in 1999. Instead of just paying him $5.9 million back then, Bonilla’s camp suggested the Mets defer future payments until 2011, offering $1.1 million per year through 2035. The Mets leaped at the opportunity.
Somehow, Bonilla will receive a total of $29.8 million instead of $5.9 million over 20 years ago now. It’s still one of the strangest contract decisions in the history of sports, and the Mets are literally still paying for it decades later.
Bonilla was a six-time All-Star, he even won a World Series ring with the then-Florida Marlins, but he hasn’t played in MLB since the 2001 season. The fact that, at 60 years old, he’s still earning million-dollar checks is absolutely insane. Not a bad gig if you can get away with it.
In addition to the $1.19 million he receives annually on July 1 from the Mets, Bonilla also has a second deferred-payment plan in place with both the Mets and Baltimore Orioles. This one began in 2004 and pays out $500K for 25 years, ending in 2029. But the good news is, even when that runs out, his pact with the Mets stays intact through 2035.