Bobby Bonilla Day hits its 15th year with Mets still on the hook for $1.19 million

By now, the Mets might as well declare July 1 an official holiday. It’s Bobby Bonilla Day, and the 62-year-old will be receiving a fresh check of $1.19 million from the Mets as part of one of the most bizarre contracts in sports history. The saga began in 1991, when Bonilla, a six-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, signed a five-year, $29 million contract with the Mets, then the richest deal in team sports. Bonilla never lived up to that contract, and the Mets traded him to the Orioles in 1995, before he landed with the Marlins and eventually back at Shea Stadium in 1998. The Mets bought out Bonilla’s deal in January 2000, with the team agreeing to defer the $5.9 million sum with 8 percent interest, spread across the span of 2011-35. Bonilla also receives $500,000 annually from the Orioles, with payments to continue through 2028.Mets ownership, led by then-owner Fred Wilpon, was in the midst of getting scammed by Bernie Madoff when the team struck its deal with Bonilla. Wilpon and the Mets believed they’d be getting huge returns on their investment with Madoff, which would enable them to pay off the buyout. That did not work out, and the Mets instead found themself in the embarrassing predicament of owing Bonilla the huge annual payday. The situation has become a source of camaraderie for fans in recent years — especially now that billionaire Steve Cohen is in charge of the team. When he first bought the team in November 2020, Cohen joked on X about handing Bonilla an oversized check and driving a car around Citi Field each July 1.In 2021, the Mets listed a promotion for fans to book an Airbnb stay at Citi Field that included use of the team gym and shower, and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, under the header: “Private room hosted by Bobby.”Bonilla, too, has embraced the wacky nature of the situation.Of course, that’s easy for him to do with $1.19 million hitting his account every July. “It’s kind of become like my bir...