MLB, Bobby Bonilla, New York Mets
When the Mets released Bobby Bonilla back in 2000, they struck a deal to avoid paying him the remaining $5.9M on his contract, and instead decided to pay him $1.2M per year from 2011 to 2035.We actually mentioned it here, and there might be 5 or 6 of you who remember it.
No matter how you slice it, that's a terrible deal for the Mets. They got raked over the coals, because they wanted to save a few dollars back in 2000, and didn't care how it happened.
Now, it just so happens that Bonilla is paid more than any outfielder currently on the Mets roster. And there's another guy being paid even MORE by the Mets to NOT play outfield for them.
Jason Bay, currently with the Seattle Mariners, got a $21M buyout in the offseason, allowing him to hit free agency and free the Mets of his remaining contract.
The highest paid active outfielder on the Mets is Lucas Duda, who will take home around $500,000 this year.
Kudos to the Mets on another fantastic year of superb financial management. Bernie Madoff must have taught them everything he knows.
