Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Success! Now Check Your Email

To complete Subscribe, click the confirmation link in your inbox. If it doesn’t arrive within 3 minutes, check your spam folder.

Ok, Thanks

Quick Notes: Bobby Bonilla's infamous contract was purchased at an auction

Richard Wachtel profile image
by Richard Wachtel

Bobby Bonilla's infamous contract with the New York Mets which pays him nearly $1.2 million through 2035 when he is 72 years old, was purchased in auction for nearly $200 thousand on Saturday. The auction winner will also receive a 30-minute Zoom call with Bonilla and other perks.

Bobby Bonilla’s contract – specifically the deferred compensation agreement – has sold at auction for $180,000 on collectibles marketplace Goldin. Bidding closed late Saturday night.

Bonilla was released by the Mets in 2000, with the team still owing the third baseman $5.9 million. Instead of paying the deal out, Mets ownership thought it is best financially to defer payments on Bonilla’s contract, spreading it across 25 years with eight percent interest.   On a day known only as "Bobby Bonilla Day" to Mets fans, Bonilla receives a $1,193,248.20 payment every July 1.

The auction winner also receives two 30-minute Zoom calls – one with Bonilla himself and one with Dennis Gilbert, the agent who negotiated Bonilla’s deferment deal. He also gets a game-used bat from Bonilla’s collection, a signed baseball, and a 1-of-1 NFT of Bonilla’s contract.

On top of it all, the winner will spend a day with Bonilla in New York, complete with breakfast, a trip to Citi Field for batting practice, and a Mets game and dinner. The trip is set to take place in 2023.

Bonilla’s contract has been in Gilbert’s possession since the original signing. The lot includes a letter of provenance with Gilbert and a letter of authenticity from Beckett authentication.

Richard Wachtel profile image
by Richard Wachtel

Subscribe to New Posts

Subscribe today

Success! Now Check Your Email

To complete Subscribe, click the confirmation link in your inbox. If it doesn’t arrive within 3 minutes, check your spam folder.

Ok, Thanks

Read More