Now THIS is the type of contract we can get behind!
The New York Mets are struggling through the summer with a load of injuries and their fair share of off-field drama, but now that it’s July 1, the team’s focus turns to what is arguably their most ridiculous legacy: on this day every single year, they pay Bobby Bonilla exactly $1.19 million.
There’s a problem, though: Bobby Bonilla hasn’t played for them since 1999. He hasn’t even played Major League Baseball since 2001!!!
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And yet the Mets owe him this money every single year on July 1 all the way through 2035. How is this even possible?!
It all starts back in the early ’90s, when Bonilla was one of the best baseball players in the league.
The player and the Mets worked out a contract that included a $6 million per year payment — at that point, the highest salary in the league — and also a deferred salary that held a key provision: if the Mets released Bonilla early, they owed him the remaining money with interest.
Sure enough, before the 2000 season, the Mets released him. And sure enough, the provision kicked in: every single July 1st between 2011 (ten years after Bonilla’s career ended) and 2035, the club owes Bonilla $1.19 million.
Every. Single. Year.
Mr. Met, the New York Mets’ mascot (pictured above flipping off a fan in a different, equally ridiculous scandal from earlier this summer) clearly can’t be too happy about losing that much cash every July 1.
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Bonilla hasn’t played baseball in 17 years now, but he’s (hopefully) still swimming in cold, hard cash from that absurd contract stipulation!!! And Twitter is having a TON of fun with it by celebrating Bobby Bonilla Day, too (below):
<wakes up, hears birds chirping, and feels the slight summer breeze; yes, it is time>
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day, everybody.
— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) July 1, 2017
?HAPPY BOBBY BONILLA DAY!?
Cha ching! Another $1,193,248.20 pic.twitter.com/zZKZX877Tj
— 120 Sports (@120Sports) July 1, 2017
For those of you unaware of #BobbyBonillaDay or what it may be, let’s dig in to the history of this wondrous day!
— James Francis (@jfrancis8104) July 1, 2017
Once upon a time, Bobby Bonilla fancied himself a baseball player, and the Mets did too! But then came a dark time when the Mets no longer
— James Francis (@jfrancis8104) July 1, 2017
Fancied Bobby Bonilla as a baseball player. So! In the year of our lord 2000 the Mets paid sir Robert to….simply go away.
— James Francis (@jfrancis8104) July 1, 2017
The payments began in 2011. About a decade after our hero ceased playing the game of baseball.
— James Francis (@jfrancis8104) July 1, 2017
So with an 8% interest to defer the contract, that raised our brave sir Bobby Bonilla’s total payout to roughly 30 million American dollars
— James Francis (@jfrancis8104) July 1, 2017
And thus creates, the greatest holiday in sports…Bobby Bonilla Day.
— James Francis (@jfrancis8104) July 1, 2017
With today’s $1.19M payment, the Mets have paid Bobby Bonilla $8.3M for 2000 season (he didn’t play for them).
They still owe him $21.5M.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 1, 2017
Happy Bobby Bonilla day everyone! My hope is that you one day have an agent who swindles someone as he did the Mets, and will do until 2035.
— Chris Donohue (@donnosaur) July 1, 2017
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day to you and yours pic.twitter.com/cgjGgOmCqc
— Russell Steinberg (@Russ_Steinberg) July 1, 2017
LOLz!!!
In light of all the recent contract talks at, say, American Idol, just remember these poor New York Mets: Ryan Seacrest has nothing until he’s got Bobby Bonilla money! Ha!!!
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Thoughts, Perezcious readers?!
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[Image via Twitter.]
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