Mets owner Steve Cohen wishes fans a happy 'Bobby Bonilla Day'

The funniest day of the MLB calendar is here: Bobby Bonilla Day.

July 1 marks yet another year the Mets will pay their former player $1,193,248.20 even though Bonilla hasn't suited up for the team since they released him in 1999. He hasn't even played in the MLB since 2001. Bonilla, now 59 years old, will continue this payday until 2035 thanks to a buyout deal he reached with the Mets following his release.

New York agreed to pay Bonilla the remaining $5.9 million left on his salary over a 25-year period beginning in 2011 and ending on July 1, 2035, at a negotiated 8% interest. He'll be 72 years old when the deal ends.

One of those celebrating Bobby Bonilla Day is none other than Mets own Steve Cohen, who bought the team from Fred Wilpon, the man who originally agreed to Bonilla's deferred payment. Cohen called today his "favorite day of the year."

This isn't the first time Cohen cracked jokes at the Mets' expense. After he became the majority in owner in 2020, Cohen asked fans on Twitter if they should celebrate the day by handing Bonilla an oversized check on the field. While that hasn't happened yet, the Mets did hold an event embracing the pseudo-holiday in 2021.