It's Bobby Bonilla Day! Why New York Mets still pa...

playGreeny's favorite facts on 'Bobby Bonilla Day' (2:11) It's July 1, and that means it's time for Mets fans everywhere to wish each other a Happy Bobby Bonilla Day! Why? On Wednesday, 63-year-old Bobby Bonilla will receive a check for $1,193,248.20 from the New York Mets, as he has and will every July 1 from 2011 through 2035. Because of baseball's unique salary structure, Bonilla's annual payday is often more than some of the game's current young stars will make in a given year. The Mets are certainly not alone in handing out deferred payments to star players long after they last suited up for the team, with past MVPs and Cy Young winners among the notable names still collecting annual paychecks from their previous employers. In recent MLB offseasons, deferred money became an even bigger talking point with the Los Angeles Dodgers frequently opting for the structure, highlighted by a deal with Shohei Ohtani that will delay payments for $680 million of his $700 million megadeal. He'll start receiving $68 million per year in 2034. Here is what you need to know about Bonilla's payday, deferred money in baseball and the current players making less for the 2026 season than Bobby Bo will receive from the Mets. In 2000, the Mets agreed to buy out the remaining $5.9 million on Bonilla's contract. However, instead of paying Bonilla the $5.9 million at the time, the Mets agreed to make annual payments of nearly $1.2 million for 25 years starting July 1, 2011, including a negotiated 8% interest. At the time, Mets ownership was invested in a Bernie Madoff account that promised double-digit returns, and the Mets were poised to make a significant profit if the Madoff account delivered -- but that did not work out. Under new owner Steve Cohen, who mentioned the possibility of celebrating Bonilla at Citi Field annually soon after taking over the team, the Mets have embraced Bonilla's day. Bonilla last played for the Mets in 1999 and last played in the majors for the Cardinals in 2001, but he will be paid through 2035 (when he'll be 72). Here are some other notable deferred-money contracts, courtesy of ESPN Research: • Bobby Bonilla (again): A second deferred-contract plan with the Mets and Orioles pays him $500,000 a year for 25 years. Those payments began in 2004. • Bret Saberhagen: Will receive $250,000 a year from the Mets for 25 years (payments also began in 2004; this was the inspiration for Bonilla's deal). As trade season starts up, here are the big names who could move -- and the teams that could deal for them. Jeff Passan &#187 • Max Scherzer: Will receive $105 million total from the Nationals that will be paid out through 2028. • Manny Ramírez: Will collect the final payment of $24.2 million total from the Red Sox through 2026. • Chris Davis: Davis' arrangement with the Orioles might make him the new Bonilla, as he collects $59 million in deferred payments during a 15-year stretch that started last year and continues through 2037. Davis received $9.16 million in both 2024 and 2025 and now will collect $3.5 million from 2026 to 2032 and $1.4 million from 2033 to 2037. The biggest difference in the two deferral-heavy deals is that Bonilla's came as the result of a buyout by the Mets for an underperforming veteran, whereas Ohtani's salary arrangement was proposed by a superstar at the height of his free agency. In his unprecedented contract, Ohtani is being paid just $2 million annually during the 10-year length of his deal with the Dodgers. From 2034 to 2043, Ohtani will receive $68 million per year. The parameters of the arrangement allow the Dodgers more short-term flexibility while also lowering the team's competitive balance tax burden with only the present-day value ($46 million per year) of the contract counting toward L.A.'s CBT payroll. Because baseball's salary structure has young players start their careers by earning just over half of Bonilla's annual $1.19 million, the following players will be making less than Bonilla this season (listed in order of 2026 Fangraphs WAR entering Tuesday's games): Pete Crow-Armstrong: $894,000 (4.9 WAR) Jacob Misiorowski: $788,300 (4.3 WAR) Dillon Dingler: $834,900 (3.7 WAR) Cam Schlittler: $801,425 (3.7 WAR) Otto Lopez: $810,500 (3.6 WAR) Kevin McGonigle: $780,000 (3.4 WAR) JJ Wetherholt: $780,000 (3.4 WAR) Nick Kurtz: $780,000 (3.3 WAR) Miguel Vargas: $805,700 (3.2 WAR) Figures from ESPN Research were used throughout this story.

It's Bobby Bonilla Day! Why New York Mets still pa...

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