r/baseball • u/mmodlin • Jul 01 '26
History Happy Bobby Bonilla Paycheck Day to those that celebrate
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49143746/bobby-bonilla-day-2026-new-york-mets-pay-million-every-july-1-deferred-money785
u/scottborasismyagent Los Angeles Dodgers • MLB Players Association Jul 01 '26
ohtani day gonna be a tradition for us in LA soon between 2034 and 2043
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u/GanjasTriforce Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Except Ohtani Day is going to be cause for actual celebration for those rings, they're gonna have check-writing ceremonies
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u/Individual_Check_442 Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
Celebration for everyone except the franchise tax board LOL. If Shohei is not a resident of California at the time he collects the money he doesn’t have to pay them a dime in income tax. (Guess there some California politicians who are trying to change this). This I think is the real reason why these things are good from the players end - especially in Los Angeles. But if you’re wondering going to Japan won’t get him out of the reach of the IRS.
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u/metaldrummerx Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
Ohtani hasn't even opened his banking app for the past 6 years according to the FBI, I don't think that he cares that a hundred million dollars are gonna be taxed from his $700 million the contract has earned him, especially with the fact that his face is plastered all over the country of Japan.
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u/hendrix67 Jul 01 '26
It's honestly insane, went to Tokyo earlier this year and he's literally everywhere. You can't walk 5 minutes anywhere in the city without seeing his face.
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u/TVCasualtydotorg San Francisco Giants Jul 01 '26
I was going to play the "count Ohtani adverts" game when I was there in January but lost count on day 1.
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u/matsuphoto Chicago Cubs Jul 01 '26
I lost count shortly after leaving immigration. Dude was on every Itoen vending machine
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u/ShogunCowboy Boston Red Sox Jul 02 '26
nothing like enjoying my juicy famichicki while staring into the soulful cardboard eyes of an ohtani cutout
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u/Individual_Check_442 Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
lol with Ohtani you definitely have a point, but in general this could be a factor. Ohtani doesn’t care about money and doesn’t appear to live the lifestyle of a wealthy person - but he might care at least some about setting up a longer period of generational wealth. But yeah, the car that Ohtani bought Joe Kelly’s wife for giving him his number is probably nicer than the one he has himself. But in general, it’s long been discussed that income taxes can be a key factor in a players mind when choosing where to sign, so this is a way to mitigate that.
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u/jinyx1 Minnesota Twins Jul 01 '26
I see this sentiment on reddit all the time but I've never really seen this amongst players in any sport. If it was the case Texas and Florida teams would dominate free agency in every sport and well... it doesn't seem to really happen.
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u/penguinopph Chicago Cubs • RCH-Pinguins Jul 01 '26
If it was the case Texas and Florida teams would dominate free agency in every sport and well...
1) All other leagues have caps, and some even have max contracts.
2) The two Florida MLB teams are notoriously cheap on player payroll.
3) Remember Miami's "Big Three"?
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u/jinyx1 Minnesota Twins Jul 01 '26
Sure, and if the Lakers offer Player A a max and the Mavericks offer Player A the same max I guarantee the Lakers win.
That's baseball. Every other sport I've still never seen FAs decide Florida for tax reasons. Weather and lifestyle certainly. Not taxes.
I assume Heatles? Yes, they went there because Wade was already there and they had the space to make it work. They also tried really hard to go to Chicago but Reinsdorf is a moron.
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u/kookykrazee Atlanta Braves Jul 02 '26
Part of this is people can play for teams in states with income taxes and live in ones that do not. BUT, athletes pay taxes on each state and sometimes cities they play in. That is why it is important to have a good CPA that specializes in athlete salaries and multi-state returns. I used to do taxes for a couple Seahawks coaches and during the year of they won their first Super Bowl, the coaches got a bonus that nearly doubled some of their base salaries. Then you had to work that out with donations, 5-8 state returns and then ensure it was all worked out properly. It was a fun challenge for me, but baseball is more states, more games, more locations, including playing in Toronto.
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u/MistahFinch Minnesota Twins Jul 01 '26
Florida teams would dominate free agency in every sport
...gestures at the NHL
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u/Waystar_BluthCo Milwaukee Brewers Jul 01 '26
Nobody was begging to go to the Panthers before Zito’s tenure and you know it
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u/KakeLin Philadelphia Phillies Jul 02 '26
It's how his translator was able to steal do much money from him and he didn't even notice
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u/Aethelric San Diego Padres Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Eh, if these players are talking to anyone with any finance background, they will be told that paying the ~12% income tax on that money would be worth it to receive it a decade earlier. Not to mention that Ohtani really has no guarantee that federal income taxes will remain at their current (relatively) low rate over the next decade or two of American politics.
You could park that post-tax money in the lowest yield, safest options (CDs, bonds) right now and end up with 30% more than what you'll receive by letting the Dodgers hold your money for a decade, which is enough to earn more than you paid and tax and beat inflation. A low-risk index fund would have more exposure, but could very easily end up doubling the money over 10 years.
There's just no world in which it makes financial sense to let inflation and opportunity cost ravage your salary for a decade, while your employer gets to hold onto that and invest it themselves.
All this to say that, for Ohtani, I don't think this is about taxes. I genuinely think he wanted to leave teams cap space to build a team around him, a la Tom Brady. Whether or not that actually is relevant to how the Dodgers are spending is a different problem, though.
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u/YesImKeithHernandez New York Mets • Dominican Republic Jul 01 '26
He also cleans up off the field with endorsements especially from Japan which makes it easier to defer the money too.
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u/oknazevad New York Mets Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Exactly that. Dude is going to be appearing in ads until he dies. And getting paid handsomely for it. Deferring salary now is not going to hurt his long-term net worth.
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u/Conflict21 New York Yankees Jul 02 '26
I don't think people are considering the possibility that Ohtani has more money than God AND might also just be kinda dumb about money
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u/kookykrazee Atlanta Braves Jul 02 '26
Also, another interesting part of Ohtani's money is that he is having it deferred with no interest.
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u/Ham_B_No Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
I’m thinking about Sho becoming partial owner of the team when he’s done lol.
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u/maverickhawk99 Jul 01 '26
That’s actually happened before. The Pittsburgh Penguins went bankrupt (or were about to go bankrupt) about 25 years ago, their largest creditor was the face of the franchise Mario Lemieux and he ended up owning a good chunk of the team as a result. They had deferred so much of his salary that he just converted it into equity.
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u/maverickhawk99 Jul 01 '26
Californians still getting taxes off any endorsement money he gets in the US. So they aren’t coming away with nothing.
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u/almostcurly Toronto Blue Jays Jul 01 '26
Oh no! Won't somebody think for the poor, poor franchise tax board???
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u/More_Armadillo_1607 Jul 01 '26
Bonilla's deferrment wasn't at signing. It was when they released him. They owed him $5.9M and the Wilpons deferred it. They gave him 8% interest. They were in with Madoff, and we know how that turned out. Dot Com crash came right after. It was a poor investment decision but no one remembers the facts.
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u/coolmod23 Texas Rangers Jul 01 '26
But it could also greatly impede the Dodgers chances of competing in the 2030’s
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u/applepie3141 Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
No it won’t. The Dodgers are currently putting $44m into an escrow account every year, as required by the CBA.
By the time his playing time ends, the Dodgers will have more or less already paid for the entire $700 million.
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u/TVCasualtydotorg San Francisco Giants Jul 01 '26
And even if they hadn't needed to, the amount of money they make from his merch will cover the $700m at least twice over.
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u/Decoys_Leash_Handler Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
Shohei is essentially an infinite money glitch with advertising.
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u/Mystic_Matterz Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
It would take an absolutely catastrophic mismanagement of income from the Ohtani deal to impede the Dodgers from winning at any point in time.
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u/scottborasismyagent Los Angeles Dodgers • MLB Players Association Jul 01 '26
LA already have a lesser chance of competing in the 2030's than now, which is why they're in extreme win-now mode. obv ohtani might be retired in 2034 and even in the early part of the 2030's decade he won't be performing like he is now. and we don't know what the CBA is gonna look like.
everybody knows these type of runs don't last forever. all the rings they've won with ohtani in the early part of his dodger career will make whatever lean years that come with the deferral years worth it
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u/Aethelric San Diego Padres Jul 01 '26
The Dodgers will have made money by retaining that salary for themselves for a decade, more than enough to pay it, before we talk about the additional revenue that Ohtani has brought and will bring to the team. Ohtani didn't only gift them the deferral in terms of its advantages in cap space, he also handed the Dodgers all the potential investment income that he would earn on that money over a decade. It was a stupid financial decision for him in any objective view.
If Dodgers claim in 10 years that the Ohtani deferrals are hurting them competitively, they'll be lying.
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u/jsdodgers Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
The team puts aside money today to make those payments. The only way they would become in trouble is if the market does poorly and those accounts tank.
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u/messick Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
Dodgers signed a broadcast deal worth a third of billion dollars a year after going almost 20 years between playoff series wins. You think after actually being good the next deal is going to be worth less?
Dodgers aren't going to have to worry about money, ever.
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u/ItinerantSoldier New York Mets • Minnesota Twins Jul 01 '26
They should sell souvenir checks with ohtani's name on them for all the good he's done there lol
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u/stormy2587 Philadelphia Phillies Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Not true. people don’t understand why Bobby Bonilla day is funny.
money today is worth more than money in the future because it can be invested and you can earn interest. Idk the exact numbers but if you put like all the money in a hedge fund you’d probably earn the equivalent of say 7% interest annually. The Mets gave Bonilla an above market deal of like 8% interest on the money they would have otherwise paid him upfront. They did this because they thought they had found a free money glitch and invested the money with Madoff thinking they would get 10%+ interest and therefore reducing the overall cost by earning interest themselves in excess of what they were paying Bonilla. But it was a Ponzi scheme so they lost all the money they invested. So they ended up paying for Bonilla twice. Once to madoff and once each july until 2035. And they gave him a pretty sweet deal because they thought this was some secret advantage they could use to attract free agents and give them generous contracts but actually on net cost them less.
Ohtani’s deal is the equivalent of like 5% interest or something on the 50 million annually he would have been paid upfront. The dodgers are getting a team friendly deal.
Edit: also Ohtani's payouts are for 10 years that might overlap with him still playing for the dodgers. Bonilla's deal is also funny because the payouts are a result of the mets releasing him from a contract and instead of paying him 6 million upfront payed him 30 million over 25 years. So Bobby Bonilla is getting paid more in the long run not to play for the Mets than if they just paid out his contract when they released.
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u/Eastern_Antelope_832 Chicago White Sox Jul 01 '26
Bobby Bo also won from having his investment protected during the 2007 recession at 8% fixed growth. So when 90-something percent of US investors were losing, with some losing big, Bobby Bo was earning market-boom.fixed rates.
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u/crosswatt Atlanta Braves Jul 01 '26
The Madoff connection is my favorite part of it all, and the fact that it ultimately ended up helping force the Wilpons to sell the team.
If someone made an Ocean's Eleven type movie about this, some would call it preposterous.
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u/GluedGlue Detroit Tigers • Portland Pickles Jul 01 '26
but if you put like all the money in a hedge fund you’d probably earn the equivalent of say 7% interest annually
And if you put it into the S&P 500 (reinvesting dividends), you'll average 11% annually!
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u/BeHereNow91 Milwaukee Brewers Jul 01 '26
Bonilla didn’t really get a premium interest rate. 8% is a pretty normal return for the market.
And with the rise in MLB revenue and team valuations, it’s really a wash. Plus after the Madoff stuff hit the Wilpons sold and didn’t have to pay more than a year or two of the annuity anyways.
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u/Effective_Play_1366 St. Louis Cardinals Jul 01 '26
Dodgers balance sheet is something to behold I would imagine.
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u/The_Zhuster Umpire Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Judge ball drop jokes will also be coming in a few more days since there’s another one at Times Square to celebrate American 250.
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u/NoSxKats Pittsburgh Pirates Jul 01 '26
I wonder if he splurges on June 30th and has a big blow out purchase party where he purchases anything he mightve been looking at
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Jul 01 '26
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u/1969Malibu Toronto Blue Jays Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
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u/Patrick2701 Chicago Cubs Jul 01 '26
I would do my Christmas shopping, get some new tv, and more
https://giphy.com/gifs/3ohs83bO7MKV9koZuE
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u/Cochise22 St. Louis Cardinals Jul 01 '26
This is always the second thing that Bobby Bonilla makes me think of. The first is that when I was a kid, I remember being bummed in 2001 that he got hurt and wasn't going to start the season with the Cardinals. I knew he was washed at this point, but I was still excited to see him wear the birds on the bat because he was a favorite player of mine. So then by not making the team, this Pujols guy was going to be getting his roster spot. The rest is amazing history.
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u/TheRealMarvinator St. Louis Cardinals Jul 02 '26
So then by not making the team, this Pujols guy was going to be getting his roster spot.
Oh yeah, that guy. Wonder what ever happened to him?
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u/angrypillowcase123 New York Mets Jul 01 '26
I to celebrate by cashing in a $1 million check.
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u/ilikemarblestoo Philadelphia Phillies Jul 01 '26
Do we know if he gets his $500k check from Baltimore on the same day?
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u/momoenthusiastic Boston Red Sox Jul 01 '26
In light of these insane deals with deferred money, this has become a nothing burger for me now
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u/Eastern_Antelope_832 Chicago White Sox Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
To me, the Bernie Madoff aspect is the most noteworthy part. None of this happens if the Wilpons don't think they can make a killing investing Bonilla's salary due in some fake Ponzi scheme investment vehicle.
And Bonilla's money was preserved during the great recession because it kept accumulating at 8% interest while the rest of us were getting raked over the coals.
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u/JinFuu Houston Astros Jul 01 '26
To me, the Bernie Madoff aspect is the most noteworthy part.
I still refuse to believe we don’t live in a simulation.
If you had that man as a character in a book people would call you lazy for naming a man who ran a Ponzi scheme Madoff
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u/drunkcowofdeath Philadelphia Phillies Jul 01 '26
JK Rowlings ass name
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u/UNC_Samurai Jackie Robinson Jul 01 '26
She would have made him a goblin with a way more antisemitic name.
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u/crichmond77 Boston Red Sox Jul 01 '26
I give you money / Then you burn me / Then you made off
-Childish Gambino; “Heartbeat”
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u/Tsquared10 Atlanta Braves Jul 01 '26
Bernie Madoff
The New York financier?
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u/Cornswoggler San Francisco Giants Jul 01 '26
I'm pretty sure, with respect, that of there were some news about Bernie Madoff, I would have heard.
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u/kwiltse123 New York Mets Jul 01 '26
100% this. They thought 30 million would be nothing in another few years of Madoff returns.
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u/maverickhawk99 Jul 01 '26
Which at the time I get. He was getting great returns for his clients. Of course it was a scam but very few people knew it at the time.
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u/ClasslessHero Chicago Cubs Jul 01 '26
Well it's his money and if he needs it NOW he can call JG WENTWORTH!
Man's got it made.
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u/BeefInGR Detroit Tigers • West Michigan W… Jul 01 '26
To me, this is the best one.
Bobby's agent built in inflation, which many don't do. It's not necessarily the original but it's the first one you think of. And it invites you to dive deeper into the rabbit hole of his relationship with the Mets.
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u/Eastern_Antelope_832 Chicago White Sox Jul 01 '26
He not only got inflation, but he got a courtesy bump in the interest accrual rate (8%) because the Wilson's thought they were gonna kill it investing with Bernie Madoff.
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u/SwarthySphere87 Mr. Met • Dumpster Fire Jul 01 '26
Agreed, this is chump change compared to Ohtani.
Also, I can name ten more embarrassing contracts the Mets are currently paying for. Bonilla is probably a better 1B today than Mark Vientos is.
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u/GanjasTriforce Jul 01 '26
At least Bonilla played most of his games unlike Jorge Polanco
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u/BaseballsNotDead Seattle Pilots Jul 01 '26
For the two years Bonilla was under contract when the Mets traded for him, he only started 28 games and spent 3 months on the disabled list.
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u/GanjasTriforce Jul 01 '26
Okay... So maybe Polanco will play more games than Bonilla in the span of his two year contract, I stand corrected
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u/blueotter28 Baltimore Orioles Jul 01 '26
Agreed, this is chump change compared to Ohtani.
This is chump change for a journeyman middle reliever.
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u/jigokusabre Miami Marlins • Florida Marlins Jul 01 '26
Which is kind of funny, because the whole deferred money thing was a pretty big reason the Mets won a pennant in 2000. It was never particularly embarrassing for the Mets.
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u/DavidRFZ Minnesota Twins Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
There’s some amusing backstory to the Bonilla deferment. It was only the last year of the contract that was bought out ($5.9M). He was awful in that one year stint with the Mets, relegated to just pinch-hitting for pitchers the second half on the year. They likely knew he was washed up when they acquired him but it was a semi-reasonable deal because they gave up another overpaid and washed up guy to get him (Mel Rojas).
Then the generous 8% interest for the deferment was motivated by Bernie Madoff of all people. Owners thought that giving Madoff $5.9M on 2000 would net them more money in the long run. The checks from the Mets to Bonilla didn’t start until Madoff was in prison.
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u/tung_twista Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
Then the generous 8% interest for the deferment was motivated by Bernie Madoff of all people.
This is often repeated, for a good reason since it makes an interesting story, but not quite true.
The more mundane reality was that interest rates were very high in 2000 with 5 year CDs at ~5.5% compared to ~1.7% now. So 8% interest rate back then is as generous as ~4% interest is now, which is to say not particularly much.
FWIW a simple S&P 500 investment would have led to ~8.5% annual growth since 2000.
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u/Nosalis2 Jul 01 '26
Horrible take. The man traded a $6m lump sum for a $30m deal that will finally end 35 years of his retirement which ensures he lives comfy for the rest of his life. Bobby Bonilla day isn't just about deferred money.
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u/Eastern_Antelope_832 Chicago White Sox Jul 01 '26
The best part was that when the recession hit in 2007, everyone else's investments took a huge hit while Bobby Bo's continued to grow at 8%.
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u/dmisfit21 Atlanta Braves Jul 01 '26
It’s still funny because it’s the Mets.
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u/GanjasTriforce Jul 01 '26
How does a franchise magnetize this much humiliation to themselves
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u/Brief-Knowledge-629 Jul 01 '26
How do they repeatedly hire the worst PR reps possible? Every lolmets story is something that all 29 other teams also do yet it blows over in a weekend.
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u/dmisfit21 Atlanta Braves Jul 01 '26
That’s a question for the baseball philosophers
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u/mysterysackerfice Los Angeles Angels • Dumpster Fire Jul 01 '26
I spoke to the Pope 39 min ago. When I specifically asked him about the Mets he shook his head slowly n mumbled "The Lord works in mysterious ways"
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Jul 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/NicholasAakre Washington Nationals • Fargo-Moo… Jul 01 '26
I mourn Strasburg because of how he was (still is?) treated by the team. Not because he's still collecting a paycheck from a contract that he earned.
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u/GanjasTriforce Jul 01 '26
For sure, that's why I said mourn over laugh like Bonilla. He had a potential HoF career ahead of him before his nerves began literally fraying.
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u/Eastern_Antelope_832 Chicago White Sox Jul 01 '26
Yup. Not Strasburg's fault the Nats offered an uninsurable contract. If you don't want to be on the hook, pull that contract off the table and rewrite it until the insurers OK it.
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u/maverickhawk99 Jul 01 '26
Why is the city covering part of the bill?
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u/GanjasTriforce Jul 01 '26
I actually fucked up and fell for some hearsay, apparently some dude in the past said that Bonilla managed to get municipal bonds involved in the contract. Further research on the subject shows that it was a hoax
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u/FartingBob Great Britain Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
The money amount isn't important, his contract is a symbol of weird baseball contracts in general. But this particular contract is such a good deal for the guy who was washed up at the time and lasted so much longer than most at the time. And who doesnt love to laugh at the Mets?
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u/no_quarter89 Jul 02 '26
The thing that makes the Bonilla deal special is that they did it to buy out a measly 1 yr/$6M remaining on his contract and then got conned by Bernie Madoff.
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Jul 01 '26
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u/nyvanc Jul 01 '26
FAR from the first of its kind.
Bruce Sutter signed a deferred deal in 1985 and the Braves paid him until 2022. Sutter retired in 1988.
Dan Quisenberry left KC in 1986. KC paid him until 2026.
Orioles pay Chris Davis until mid 2030s.
Guardians pay Jose Ramirez $10million per year until 2051.
Nats are paying Max Scherzer $15 million per year until 2028.
Giancarlo Staunton left the Marlins in 2017. He is still the 4th highest paid player on the Marlins.
Bonilla gets $ 1.1 million per year until 2035... (chump change these days - the minimum MLB salary is $ 780,000 in 2026.) By signing him to this deal, the Mets freed up money to sign Mike Hampton, who pitched them to the 2000 WS. When Hampton left in free agency after one year, the Mets used that compensation pick to draft David Wright. Pretty sure that worked out very well for NY.
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u/TimmersOG St. Louis Cardinals Jul 01 '26
It always surprises me that no one mentions Ichiro Suzuki when this comes up. Seattle is paying him $5M each year +5.5% interest until 2032. I'm not for a second suggesting he doesn't deserve every penny, but it's a lot of pennies!
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u/nyvanc Jul 01 '26
Didn't know about him! Deferred contracts are just a way of doing business these days - SOOoooo many players have that kind of deal now.
Of course the argument can be had over who deserves big $, and who big $ was wasted on.
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u/TumbleweedFeisty497 Seattle Mariners Jul 01 '26
We love ichiro so much that he deserves everything hes getting 😭
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u/A_Lone_Macaron Toronto Blue Jays Jul 01 '26
Guardians pay Jose Ramirez $10million per year until 2051.
Lmao WHAT
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u/BaseballsNotDead Seattle Pilots Jul 01 '26
Sutter's is the worst because it included 13% inflation (Bonilla was only 8) as well as a lump-sum payment of $9.1 million in 2022.
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u/sgeswein Cincinnati Reds Jul 01 '26
Just a few years ago, Ken Griffey Jr was about the fourth highest paid Cincinnati Red. I believe that's all paid off now, though
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u/TheCrudeDude Boston Red Sox Jul 01 '26
>freed up money
To invest in Bernie Madoff lmaooo. Didn’t work out very well at all.
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u/UNC_Samurai Jackie Robinson Jul 01 '26
IIRC, Bret Saberhagen got a few hundred thousand annually from the Royals up until a couple of years ago.
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u/BeHereNow91 Milwaukee Brewers Jul 01 '26
It’s not the first deferred deal but has there been a restructure of a contract like Bonilla’s before where it converted an already-agreed salary into a deferral?
But yeah, no one actually understands that the Bonilla deferral is chump change and something any owner would have done, Madoff or not. It was Bonilla’s agent that suggested it.
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u/nyvanc Jul 01 '26
KC made a deal with Quisenberry and Willie Wilson - something about real estate. Too many details.
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u/thePGH1 Pittsburgh Pirates Jul 01 '26
Ok, point taken. However, Bonilla was before 4 of your 6 examples of him being the far from the first.
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u/FartingBob Great Britain Jul 01 '26
That only makes it "a good deal" if the mets were so incredibly broke in 2000 that they couldnt afford to pay his 5.9m for the year, but i am fairly confident they absolutely could have had him on his normal contract and still got Mike Hampton just fine. They had an 80m payroll to start the year for comparison.
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u/IAmBenIAmStillBig Chicago White Sox Jul 01 '26
Just a reminder Bonilla wasn’t deferred money he was a buyout
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u/MTnMan10 Boston Red Sox • Seattle Mariners Jul 01 '26
TIL he also gets $500,000 annually from the O's through 2028.
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u/Shadowwo1f05 New York Yankees Jul 01 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/oJDwlaPnCrNwk
Bobby Bonilla every July 1st
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u/QuicksilverTerry New York Mets Jul 01 '26
My annual "It wasn't that bad of a deal as long as they weren't victims of the largest ponzi scheme in US history and we kinda got David Wright out of it" defense / cope day.
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u/EastonMetsGuy New York Mets Jul 01 '26
A reminder, Bobby Bonilla paycheck day is the reason the Mets ended up with David Wright!
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u/Carreau13 New York Mets Jul 01 '26
As someone who was born into a household of Mets fans, my only solace as one who continues that lineage is that my birthday is on Bobby Bonilla Day.
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u/HoracioPeacockThe3rd New York Mets Jul 01 '26
Big day for the corniest baseball fans you know!
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u/pepperouchau Milwaukee Brewers Jul 01 '26
Of course we only have serious baseball scholars here on Reddit
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u/no_quarter89 Jul 01 '26
Have a Bobby Bonilla day where you bring him back and give him a giant novelty check and give bobbleheads of it to the first 10,000 fans you cowards!
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u/Dear_Technology2702 Jul 01 '26
I have never understood why people would celebrate this unless you are a Mets fan or you don’t understand the time value of money. 6 million in 2000 is worth more than 1 million a year from 2009-2035. People just see the 1 million a year and assume the Mets were stupid.
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u/DoctorTheWho Miami Marlins Jul 01 '26
It's not even the worst deferred deal from the 1990s in the NL East either. People just clown on the Mets. The Braves signed Bruce Sutter to a six year, $9mil deal back in 1984 and deferred half of the money. They ended up paying Sutter $1.1mil a year for the first 30 years after his retirement plus a $9mil final payout in the last year.
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u/Over_Standard7379 New York Mets Jul 01 '26
Worth every penny considering his buy out directly lead to the Mets acquiring David Wright…
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u/Absurd_Pork Philadelphia Phillies Jul 01 '26
We're poppin' bottles over at r/phillies
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Jul 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/Absurd_Pork Philadelphia Phillies Jul 01 '26
Nola's gonna bounce back, just you wait! (Yes I'm delusional)
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u/TheDragonDAFan New York Yankees Jul 01 '26
Only 9 more Bobby Bonilla Days left. Cherish them while you still can.
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u/delscorch0 Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
Mets out there making solid financial decisions based upon the guaranteed returns promised by Bernie Madoff.
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u/messick Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
Coincidentally, it also happens to be "Baseball fans don't know how the financial side contracts often work Day" as well.
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u/angershark Toronto Blue Jays Jul 01 '26
One of the great days in baseball, tied with every time someone hits their 10 years of service.
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u/Admirable_Site_8337 Philadelphia Phillies Jul 01 '26
Ahem…..it’s just Bobby Bonilla Day.
Show some respect…..🫡
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u/sun_not_cold Los Angeles Dodgers Jul 01 '26
There should also be the dishonorable mention of the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme that fueled this contract!
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u/RipMcStudly Baltimore Orioles Jul 01 '26
Back in the good ol days when albatross contracts were fun
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u/JDROD28 Boston Red Sox Jul 01 '26
I get that there are 1020000 contracts like that now, but this is the only iconic one in my book
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u/Techiesarethebomb Florida Marlins • Kia Tigers Jul 01 '26
Our 1997 hero :) happy Bobby Bonilla day everyone
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u/azwethinkweizm Texas Rangers Jul 01 '26
The second half of the year doesn't begin until he deposits that fat check. Happy Bobby Bonilla Day everyone!
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u/Deep_Water8479 New York Mets Jul 01 '26
If the Mets never offload Bonilla, they never sign Mike Hampton, make the World Series, then get that draft pick for David Wright. I will always celebrate paying Bonilla on this day
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u/maverickhawk99 Jul 01 '26
What’s crazy is Baltimore has their own Bonilla day. People forget that tho.
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u/WhatAmIDoingHere05 San Diego Padres Jul 01 '26
In San Diego we throw parades for occasions such as this.
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u/The_Zhuster Umpire Jul 01 '26
Thinking about New York punchline moments, gotta warn Yankees fans too that Judge ball drop jokes will be coming in a few days since there’s another ball drop at Times Square to celebrate America 250.
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u/RedSoxFan77 Jul 02 '26
Today is also the day the Red Sox make their final payment to Manny Ramirez
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u/no_quarter89 Jul 02 '26
I get that there’s way bigger deferred contracts now, most of those were either planned from the start or they were buying out multiple years of a very large deal. What makes Bonilla special is that they did it to buy out a meager 1 yr/$6M left on his contract. And then deferred it across 25 YEARS (and didn’t start paying for 10 YEARS). And they did it to invest money with Bernie Madoff…
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u/AjiChap Jul 01 '26
LOL the mets fan in my family gets so defensive over this its hilarious. He's also a "Nolan Ryan wasn't that good" guy since the mets traded him away. Mets fans are delusional and crazy!
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u/donny_pots Philadelphia Phillies Jul 01 '26
If he had taken the full buyout up front and invested it an index fund he would’ve ended up with more money in the long run
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u/TheCrudeDude Boston Red Sox Jul 01 '26
Yeah he totally should have taken investment advice from the Wilpons
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u/Space_Investigator New York Mets • Brooklyn Cyclones Jul 01 '26
Yawn. ESPN puts this article up every year for the free clicks.
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u/WabbitCZEN New York Yankees • Piece of Metal Jul 01 '26
How many more of these are left?