Happy Bobby Bonilla Day! Why infamous contract became beloved MLB holiday

USA Today

2 days ago

The first day of July marks Bobby Bonilla Day, an annual celebration of one of the strangest deals in the history of MLB
The first day of July marks Bobby Bonilla Day, an annual celebration of one of the strangest deals in the history of Major League Baseball.
Bonilla, a six-time All-Star who played his last game in 2001, has been receiving a $1.19 million check from the New York Mets every year since 2011, the result of a decision 25 years ago to delay paying the $5.9 million they owed him.
Looking to dump Bonilla after the 1999 season, the Mets opted to defer his payment – with 8% interest – giving him $1,193,248.20 annually on July 1 from 2011-2035 – adding up to nearly $30 million.
'It's bigger than my birthday," Bonilla told USA TODAY Sports. 'When that day comes, I get texts all day long, and couple of days after and maybe a day or two before. Everybody just seems to love that day and have fun with it. It's become a pretty big thing."
Contract deferrals weren't new in baseball at the time and have been deployed heavily in the 25 years since Bonilla left the Mets, but the fact that he will be getting seven-figure checks until he's 72 years old is what most captivates the baseball world.
'There'll be plenty of other deferred contracts," Bonilla's former agent Dennis Gilbert told USA TODAY Sports in 2023, 'but for a guy to be paid that long into his life, into his 70s, I don't think we'll ever see that again.
'That's why Bobby Bonilla Day should be celebrated."
Bobby Bonilla Day contract
Bonilla signed a four-year, $23.3 million contract with the Marlins prior to the 1997 season and helped the team win its first World Series that year, but was traded to the Dodgers in 1998 as part of the club's infamous fire sale.
Before the 1999 season, the Dodgers traded Bonilla to the Mets, who were looking for a new right fielder at the time – with New York assuming the remaining two years and $11.65 million on Bonilla's contract.
Then 36 years old, Bonilla played just 60 regular season games for the Mets in 1999, batting .160. He was constantly booed by fans and clashed with manager Bobby Valentine over his playing time and was relegated to the bench for the team's postseason run.
The Mets released Bonilla after the 1999 season but still owed him $5.9 million for 2000. The team worked with Bonilla's agent (Gilbert) to defer the $5.9 million – with 8% interest – to annual payments of $1,193,248.20 on July 1 from 2011 to 2035.
'It's funny how the Bobby Bonilla thing has blown up," agent Nez Balelo told USA TODAY Sports in 2023, months before negotiating Shohei Ohtani's historic $700 million deal with $680 million deferred. 'I just think it's because someone has been out of the game for so long, making that much money every year, it fascinates people."
When does Bobby Bonilla Day end?
The Mets' final "Bobby Bonilla Day" payment is set for 2035, when the six-time All-Star will be 72 years old.
Though Bobby Bonilla Day remains something of a punchline and opportunity to laugh at the Mets, the team has embraced the situation since Steve Cohen bought the team. New York's new owner immediately joked about holding a Bobby Bonilla Day celebration at Citi Field, complete with an oversized check.
Bobby Bonilla stats
Bonilla played 2,113 career games in 16 seasons from 1986 to 2001, finishing with 287 home runs, a .279 average and an .829 OPS.
Bonilla's best years came with the Pirates from 1987-1991, averaging 23 home runs and 97 RBIs per season.
He was an All-Star four years in a row, winning three Silver Slugger awards, and was the 1990 NL MVP runner-up and finished third in MVP voting in 1991, his final year in Pittsburgh. He was also named an All-Star in 1993 and 1995 during his first tenure with the Mets.