Nats have their own 'Bobby Bonilla day' now with Max Scherzer originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Since 2011, July 1 has been celebrated among baseball fans as Bobby Bonilla Day, where the former New York Met collects an annual payment near $1.2 million from his former team and he'll do so until 2035.
Former Nationals ace Max Scherzer can now enjoy similar festivities on the first day of July. Thanks to the structure of the seven-year, $210 million contract he signed with Washington in 2015, the three-time Cy Young award winner will collect $15 million from 2022-28. The Nats will play from 2022-27, while the Dodgers will foot the bill in 2028 after trading for him during the 2021 season.
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Considering he'll be 44 years old by the time those deferred payments end, it appears Scherzer will be cashing in well after he retires from baseball.
Scherzer also signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Mets at the start of the 2022 offseason. That means up until 2025, he'll pocket roughly $58 million per season from two separate clubs.
While the Bonilla payout has turned out to be a blunder by the Mets, the Nats probably won't feel very regretful each time they have to wire Scherzer his money. In just under seven seasons with the Nationals, Scherzer became arguably the best pitcher in franchise history after securing two Cy Youngs, six All-Star selections and a World Series title in 2019.
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In 2000, the Mets agreed to buy out the remaining $5.9 million of Bonilla's contract. Instead of paying the $5.9 million to Bonilla all at once, the Mets agreed to make annual payments of nearly $1.2 million for 25 years starting July 1, 2011 with 8% interest.
Happy Bobby Bonilla/Max Scherzer Day, everyone.
