Photo: AFP
It's July 1, and that means one thing: Happy Bobby Bonilla Day!
Bobby Bonilla will collect a check for $1,193,248.20 from the New York Mets, and will do so through 2035.
Bonilla's annual payday is more than some of the game's current young stars make in a given year, all because in 2000, the Mets agreed to buy out the remaining $5.9 million on Bonilla's contract.
However, instead of paying Bonilla, the Mets agreed to make annual payments of nearly $1.2 million for 25 years starting July 1, 2011, because of a negotiated 8% interest.
At the time, Mets owners were invested in a Bernie Madoff account that promised double-digit returns, and the Mets were going to make a significant profit if the Madoff account delivered, it didn't.
Bonilla last played for the Mets in 1999,last played in the majors in 2001, and will be paid through 2035 when he'll be 72.
To all you Mets fans out there, Happy Bobby Bonilla Day!