Ken Griffey Jr. is one of Reds’ highest-paid players in 2023 more than a decade after retiring

Ken Griffey Jr. is one of the greatest pure hitters in history and a Baseball Hall of Famer. And these days, after more than a decade away from the MLB, he’s just basking in deserved retirement, occasionally stealing the show in batting practices.

But thanks to deferred money on a contract signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 2000, “The Kid” is probably winning a lot more than we expected. Almost as much as Bobby Bonilla on his celebrated day every July.

As MLB Opening Day nears, with a $3.59 million deferred payment, Griffey Jr. will officially be the Reds’ fourth-highest-paid player in 2023. That’s right. The 53-year-old Griffey Jr. will be near the top of Cincinnati’s payroll roughly 15 years after he last played for the franchise.

Ken Griffey Jr. is 53 years old and hasn't played in MLB in over a decade pic.twitter.com/3L3M79syrx

— ESPN (@espn) March 26, 2023

We joyfully appreciate Bobby Bonilla Day every summer for the deferred payments he gets from the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles. Maybe we should start doing the same for Griffey Jr. — at least in this instance.

It’s only fair!