When the calendar turns to July, for most people, it’s just the start of another month, but for Bobby Bonilla, it is time to make money.
The 62-year-old former slugger continues to relish in the outcome of the Mets’ major mistake. For the 15th consecutive year, Bonilla is collecting $1,193,248.20 from the Mets.
Bonilla, who hasn’t been a Met since 1999, has been the luckiest man since signing that historic deal.
Bonilla played for the Mets from 1992 to 1995 before being traded to the Orioles, and he has been getting paid by them ever since. In 1999, the Mets released Bonilla, but he was still owed money by the team.
At the time of his release, the team owed him only $5.9 million, but it decided to defer his contract until 2035 at eight percent interest.
I don’t think the previous ownership really had a clue about the amount of cash they would end up owing Bobby Bonilla when it was all said and done.
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day: Bonilla is set to collect another $1.193 million from the NY Mets today, as he will each July 1st through the year 2035. pic.twitter.com/cYePtC47qe
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 1, 2025
“I know Bobby is happy about it, but we don’t talk about it much,” Bonilla’s former agent, Dennis Gilbert, told USA Today Sports in 2018.
“It’s just unfortunate [the Wilpons] got hoodwinked in the Madoff deal. Otherwise, it would have been a win-win for both sides.”
How Did Bobby Bonilla Get Here>
Bonilla and his agent negotiated a deal with the Mets in 1999 where the money he was owed would be deferred for 10 years, and he would receive a total of $29.8 million spread over 25 years.
As a result, every July 1, Bobby Bonilla receives a check from the New York Mets for nearly $1.2 million. This is the 15th year he will receive that payment.
After receiving today’s payment, Bonilla is in line to receive another 10 payments worth more than $13 million.
