Bobby Bonilla’s back on the payroll in 2011

Joe Foriello of DisgruntledMetsFan.com just tweeted something that I had completely forgotten about.

Here’s his tweet:

Does anyone realize that starting in 2011, the New York Mets will pay Bobby Bonilla $1.2 mil / year for 25 years? What an organization!

That’s right.  Starting July 1, 2011, and on every July 1 until 2035, the Mets will send a check  to Bobby Bonilla worth $1,193,248.20.

When the Mets released Bonilla in January of 2000, instead of picking up the $5.9 million owed to him for that year, they agreed to pay him nearly $1.2 million over the course of 25 years.  That’s almost $30 million.

Yikes.

Might as well bring him back as a coach somewhere for that much money.  Or have him cut the grass at Citi Field.

Or maybe he can play left field.