Bobby Bonilla's Career Earnings, Full Timeline of Future Contract Payments After 16th Installment

July 1 marks the 16th annual Bobby Bonilla Day when the former MLB All-Star collects his $1.2 million check from the New York Mets stemming from a contract buyout that occurred in the year 2000.

The payouts didn't kick in until July 1, 2011, with his latest payout bringing his total earnings from the deal up to $19,091,971.20.

Bonilla will continue to earn just under $1.2 million on July 1 through 2035.

This is actually one of two deferred contracts Bonilla has from his MLB career. The other one is between the Mets and Baltimore Orioles, which has paid him $500,000 each year on July 1 dating back to 2004 and ending in 2028.

Bonilla's deal was negotiated with the Mets after he hit .160/.277/.303 in 1999 and was entering the final season of a four-year, $23.3 million contract originally signed with the Florida Marlins prior to the 1997 season.

The Mets released Bonilla in January 2000, but his agent was able to negotiate a payment deferral rather than pay out the remainder of his contract in one lump sum.

Instead of collecting $5.9 million at the time of his release, Bonilla will end up receiving $29.8 million from the Mets by the time his final deferral payment is made.

After Steve Cohen purchased the Mets in 2020, he teased the possibility of making Bobby Bonilla Day a celebratory event at Citi Field.

Cohen has not followed through on that possibility, at least to this point. The Mets are playing on the road in Toronto today, so it seem like we might have to wait until at least 2027 to see if Bonilla gets an invite to Citi Field for one of those big checks like Happy Gilmore would collect.

Bonilla's MLB career ended after the 2001 season following stints with the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals in the wake of his release from the Mets.