Bobby Bonilla Day: 8 other MLB players getting paid while not playing

This post is from 2022 but we’re republishing it on Bobby Bonilla Day 2023.

July 1 always marks Bobby Bonilla Day, the annual reminder that the New York Mets pay the former slugger $1.19 million a year in deferred money until 2035. In other words, he’s gotten paid a huge salary for a bunch of years NOT to play baseball.

It means Bonilla’s name trends everywhere and everyone gets to make fun of the Mets, although we’ve written about how it’s actually a pretty good deal for the franchise.

On top of that, Bonilla isn’t the only player getting deferred money not to play. Here’s a list of those MLB players (all contract information courtesy of Spotrac).