One of baseball’s biggest unofficial holidays—Bobby Bonilla Day—has arrived again, and the 62-year-old former MLB star remains bemused by the attention his salary deferrals still receive and the significant influence they have on current player deals.
As has been the case since 2011, Bonilla today will receive a $1.19 million annual payment from the Mets, a continuation of a deferral structure created in 2000, and lasting until 2035. Overall, the Mets deal, thanks to the deferrals and compounded interest, has turned an initial $5.9 million contract obligation to Bonilla into nearly $30 million for the six-time All-Star.
“It doesn’t suck. It doesn’t suck. … I just wanted to be able to spend as if I was an active player in retirement,” Bonilla said in a short film, The Big Deal, produced by the newly created Front Office Sports Studios. “People are fascinated by [the contract]. It’s a pretty cool thing. It’s probably bigger than my birthday. … I’d love for this to be an inspiration for people. That guaranteed income is everything.”
To that end, Bonilla is far from alone in former MLB stars getting deferral checks today. Among them:
- Manny Ramirez will receive $2 million from the Red Sox as part of a 16-year, $32 million deferral pact running through 2026.
- Bret Saberhagen will receive $250,000 annually from the Mets in his deal running from 2004–28, with that pact helping inspire Bonilla’s agreement.
- Chris Davis will receive $9.16 million from the Orioles as part of $59 million in total deferrals running until 2037.
- Bonilla himself also has a second, separate deferral from the Orioles, worth $500,000 annually until 2028, with his agent, Dennis Gilbert, playing a key role in both agreements.
“It’s a beautiful day!” Bonilla said of the day bearing his name.
Some of these deferral payments are well in excess of the 2025 salaries of current MLB stars such as the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz ($770,000), Pirates’ Paul Skenes ($875,000), and Yankees’ Anthony Volpe ($879,000).
Modern-Day Moves
Extended deferrals, such as what Bonilla helped popularize, are also a fixture of current MLB contracts. The Dodgers, MLB’s top-spending club, by themselves have more than $1 billion in total deferral commitments. Superstar Shohei Ohtani, who in late 2023 deferred $680 million of his $700 million contract until 2034–43, is particularly notable here—not only because of the size of the future payments, but the fact he agreed to it in the prime of his career, as opposed to later on, as many such as Bonilla did.
The Dodgers’ offseason activity to prepare for the 2025 season included $135 million worth of deferrals for free-agent acquisitions Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Tommy Edman, and a contract extension for Teoscar Hernández.
Soon after those signings, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reiterated that the Dodgers are compliant with the collective bargaining agreement, but added, “We listen to our fans on topics like this, and I have heard people on this. Believe me, I get a lot of emails about it.”
