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Baseball player Bobby Bonilla retired in 2001. Why is he still getting more than $1M per year from the Mets?

New York Mets Bobby Bonilla busts out of his hitting slump with this swing, to give him a grand slam against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning, June 1, 1992 at New York's Shea Stadium. (Osamu Honda/AP)
Osamu Honda/AP
New York Mets Bobby Bonilla busts out of his hitting slump with this swing, to give him a grand slam against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning, June 1, 1992 at New York's Shea Stadium. (Osamu Honda/AP)

Every July 1, former Major League Baseball star Bobby Bonilla collects a $1.19-million check from his former team, the New York Mets. It’s more money than some of baseball’s current stars will make in a year, and Bonilla will continue getting the annual payments until 2035.

Kenny Malone, co-host of NPR’s Planet Money podcast, joins host Indira Lakshmanan to discuss one of the strangest contracts in baseball history.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom

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