The New York Mets’ continued financial obligations to Bobby Bonilla is perhaps baseball’s greatest running joke. Now new owner Steve Cohen is getting in on the fun too.
Cohen, who officially became the majority owner of the Mets last month, hosted a Twitter Q&A with fans Thursday. One fan suggested that the Mets just pay the rest of the money they owe to retired slugger Bobby Bonilla in one lump sum. Cohen jokingly responded that the Mets should turn Bobby Bonilla Day into a full-on spectacle. He suggested they hand Bonilla a large check and drive a lap around Citi Field to mark the occasion.
Bonilla, the 57-year-old former All-Star, infamously still collects $1.2 million from the Mets every July 1. The yearly payout is the result of a deal that the team struck with Bonilla’s agent after they released Bonilla back in 1999. In exchange for deferring the money Bonilla was still owed, the Mets agreed to pay him $1.2 million per year beginning in 2011. He will continue to collect payments until 2035 for a total payout of $29.8 million.
Cohen, meanwhile, has already been endearing himself to the Mets fanbase. Welcoming the memes about Bonilla will surely do so even further.
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