An original copy of what might be the most talked about contract in history sold on Saturday night for $180,000.
No, it's not Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees.
It's Bobby Bonilla's deferred contract with the Mets that turned the $5.9 million he was owed from the New York Mets for the 2000 season into $29.8 million in 25 annual installments of $1,193,248.20.
"We are extremely pleased with the results of the Bobby Bonilla contract and experience," said Ken Goldin of Goldin Co., which held the auction. "It is obvious that certain baseball fans had a true appreciation for the historic nature of the contract, and I'm glad to see that other pieces of baseball history besides trading cards and memorabilia can be appreciated in this collectors market."
Goldin said the buyer wishes to remain anonymous at this time.
The contract is the copy owned by Bonilla's agent Dennis Gilbert, who structured the deal. It comes with the right to be on a zoom call with Gilbert and Bonilla, a game-used Bonilla bat, a one-of-one NFT and a day with Bonilla at Citi Field in 2023. The project was the brainchild of former agent Josh Kusnick, the founder and CEO of Simple NFT.
Bonilla, who has collected 12 of 25 payments, told the Action Network that the day he receives the wire from the Mets, July 1, also known as "Bobby Bonilla Day" is, without a doubt, the biggest day of his year.
"My text messages blow up," Bonilla said. "It's way bigger than my birthday. And it's a fun day because it always brings a smile to my face. I was happy that I put the money away."
Although most Mets fans seem to lament the move, deferring the money on Bonilla allowed the team to acquire Mike Hampton, who played a key role in leading them to the 2000 World Series. A trade for Hampton to the ColoradoRockies the next year turned into an additional high draft pick, which became their future captain David Wright.
