When does Bobby Bonilla day end? Infamous Mets contract draws focus after Shohei Ohtani's record-breaking deferred deal

Bobby Bonilla day is a holiday that the New York Mets likely do not enjoy observing.

Every Jul. 1, they have to pay the former slugger $1 million. They've been doing this for years, and there's no end in sight. The ex-MLB player retired in 2001 and last played for them in 1999.

Bobby Bonilla day ends in 2035. On Jul. 1, 2035, the Mets will finally have paid off their debts. This is a case of deferred payments, which are suddenly becoming more and more popular.

The Mets were an early team to this trend, but other teams have done so in recent memory. The Los Angeles Dodgers have deferred most of the recent Shohei Ohtani contract. Loads of other players have it in their contracts as well.

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Bobby Bonilla Day is coming for more players

When is Bobby Bonilla day?

With the frequency of mega contracts being handed out these days, many teams find it difficult to pay them up front. Hence, the deferred payments trend. Ohtani and several others have that in their contract now.

The deferred payments include players like Freddie Freeman and more:

• Max Scherzer
• Stephen Strasburg
• Francisco Lindor
• Jacob deGrom

When they retire, there will be a day when the payments come due much like Bobby Bonilla day. The Dodgers will be paying Ohtani for a long time, as they deferred $680 of the $700 million deal. Whether or not it will be as infamous depends on how Ohtani plays.

Nevertheless, those players will be paid well after they've retired or moved on. It might not last as long as the Bonilla contract, which is going to last 34 years after he retired, but they will be paid after they're done. In a sense, that's a different way that these major deals are life-changing.

Instead of getting a lot of money at once, like $700 million in a decade, it's spread out, and it often comes when they no longer have active contracts. Retirement funds are just the deferred payments from teams that wanted to sign superstars now.