Update on Mets celebrating actual 'Bobby Bonilla Day' revealed

It sounds like the New York Mets aren't all that close to turning what's affectionately become known as "Bobby Bonilla Day" into something celebrated at Citi Field.

For an update shared on Monday, Bonilla told Christian Arnold of the New York Post that "nothing has materialized yet" regarding a commemoration of one of the most well-known agreements in Mets history.

"It’s not something I’m thinking about at this particular time because I have a high school student entering his senior year coming up in August," Bonilla explained. "I won’t think about anything until he’s up and running in college and then I’ll take it from there."

Bonilla receives a check for $1,193,248.20 from the Mets every July 1 through 2035 per the terms of a contract buyout agreed upon in January 2000. 

Billionaire hedge-fund manager Steve Cohen assumed ownership of the Mets in the fall of 2020 and teased as recently as last offseason that the club could eventually host a "Bobby Bonilla Day" that would feature the former slugger receiving a "big check" made out of cardboard.

The Mets ended their latest homestand with a Sunday afternoon game versus the Houston Astros and won't play again at Citi Field until they welcome the Washington Nationals to Queens on July 9.

"It’s kind of become like my birthday so to speak, right? It’s become that big," Bonilla said about the opening day of July. "I don’t think people know the exact date of my birthday, but they certainly know when this deferred comp comes in, so it’s pretty cool in that respect."

Back in November 2022, Cohen signed closer Edwin Diaz to a five-year, $102M contract that reportedly included $26.5M in deferred payments that Diaz won't receive in full until 2042. 

This past offseason, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani agreed to delay payments for $680M of the $700M deal he signed to join the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani is expected to receive $68M per year from 2034 to 2043.

"If the opportunity is there for [players] to put some money away I highly recommend it," Bonilla added. "Not everybody is going to make a boatload of money, but I like to see, whether you’re a $100M player or you’re a $1M player, really thinking about putting money away. I think it’s extremely important and I don’t think that gets addressed enough."