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Bobby Bonilla Marks 15th Annual $1.19 Million Payday in Long-Running MLB Tradition

The payments stem from a 2000 deal that deferred Bonilla’s $5.9 million buyout at 8% interest.

25 JUL 1993: NEW YORK METS THIRD BASEMAN BOBBY BONILLA WATCHES A PREVIOUS HIT DURING THE METS VERSUS LOS ANGELES DODGERS GAME AT DODGER STADIUM IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. MANDATORY CREDIT: STEPHEN DUNN/ALLSPORT
Image
Bobby Bonilla with the Mets in 1999.
File photo of Bobby Bonilla

Overview

  • On July 1, 2025, Bobby Bonilla received his 15th consecutive $1,193,248.20 check from the New York Mets under unchanged contract terms.
  • Under the deferred-compensation deal, Bonilla will collect a cumulative $29.8 million across 25 annual payments through 2035.
  • Mets owner Fred Wilpon agreed to defer the buyout expecting high returns from Bernie Madoff’s investments, only for the Ponzi scheme’s collapse to expose the flawed gamble.
  • Since acquiring the team in 2020, owner Steve Cohen has embraced ‘Bobby Bonilla Day’ with fan events and oversized check celebrations at Citi Field each July 1.
  • MLB’s use of long-term payment structures has grown in recent megadeals, notably Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract with $680 million deferred from 2034 to 2043.