What is Bobby Bonilla Day and is he still being paid by the Mets?

FORMER baseball star Bobby Bonilla gets paid every year by the New York Mets – even though he has not put on a uniform in nearly two decades.

July 1 is the day the 58-year-old Bonilla gets his annual payday.

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Bobby Bonilla takes a strike during a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium[/caption]

What is Bobby Bonilla Day?

Bonilla gets a check for $1,193,248.20 every July 1 as part of an arrangement he made with the Mets when they wanted to buy out his contract.

The team agreed to make yearly payments of nearly $1.2million for 25 years starting in 2011 when they bought out the remaining $6million on his contract before the 2000 season.

Instead of paying him outright, the Mets agreed to make annual payments of nearly $1.2 million over the 25 year period.

Bonilla last played for the Mets in 1999 and ending his MLB career after playing for the Cardinals in 2001.

He finished his career with 287 home runs and a .279 batting average.

This year, Bonilla will make more on July 1, than the leading American League MVP and some 2021 All-stars will make in their salary.

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July 1 is Bobby Bonilla Day[/caption]

Is he still getting paid by the Met’s?

Under the deal made with Bernie Madoff and former owner Fred Wilpon, Bonilla is still getting paid by the organization.

Bonilla will be getting paid from the Met’s until 2035.

Reuters

Bernie Madoff will likely spend the rest of his life in prison[/caption]

Who was Bernie Madoff?

It is believed that former Mets owner Fred Wilpon was heavily invested with the now deceased Bernie Madoff when the Bonilla deal was made, and the team may have been trying to save money.

“Bernie was part of the business plan for the Mets,” a former employee told The New York Times in 2011.

The Met’s were accustomed to earning double digit returns under Madoff because it was all apart of the Ponzi scheme. An 8% return would equal $60 million profit and while he would eventually cost Wilpon $700 million personally, the team is still required to pay Bonilla.

Madoff was serving 150 years in prison after pleading guilty to 11 federal felonies and admitting to turning his business into a giant Ponzi scheme.

Madoff died in jail on April 14, 2021 and left behind his wife Ruth.

Madoff’s sons are also deceased after his son Andrew, died from cancer at the age of 48, and his son Mark, committed suicide at the age of 46.

It was reported that Madoff swindled an estimated $65billion.

AP:Associated Press

A tear runs down the cheek of the Cardinals’ Bobby Bonilla before their game against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 17, 2001 in St Louis. It was their first game after the September 11 terror attacks[/caption]

Who did Bobby Bonilla play for?

Bonilla had an MLB career that lasted from 1986-2001.

He almost didn’t make it to the major leagues after he broke his right leg during training back in 1985, however, the Chicago White Sox picked him up the following year.

Throughout his 16-year career, Bonilla has played for eight different teams, including:

• Chicago White Sox (1986)
• Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-1991)
• New York Mets (1992-1995, 1999)
• Baltimore Orioles (1995, 1996)
• Los Angeles Dodgers (1998)
• Miami Marlins (1997, 1998)
• Atlanta Braves (2000)
• St. Louis Cardinals (2001)

What is Bobby Bonilla’s net worth?

The retired MLB player has an estimated net worth of $20 million as of 2021 according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Over the course of his MLB career, Bonilla made an estimated $52 million in salary between the eight teams he played for.

His yearly salary according to the website is his $1.4 million.