Bobby Bonilla
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Griffey Jr third highest Paid “Player” on Reds Payroll this season
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Forbes Staff
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Mar 27, 2023,06:00pm EDT
Even after hanging up his cleats, the former Orioles slugger will earn $14.8 million in 2023.
ADAM GLANZMAN/GETTY IMAGES
Bobby Bonilla collected six All-Star nods, three Silver Slugger Awards and won the World Series with the Marlins in 1997. Yet his name lives in infamy as the face of deferred payments in baseball. Each year, on July 1, New York Mets fans let out a collective groan when they’re reminded that Bonilla agreed to restructure his five-year, $29 million deal signed in 1991 in exchange for an annual payment of $1.2 million, starting in 2011 and ending in 2035. But Bonilla, 60, isn’t the only player collecting checks long after his playing days.
MLB teams are still dishing out payments to at least 13 now-retired big leaguers, according to Spotrac data. That includes retained salaries and deferred payments, and excludes players not on rosters that have not explicitly announced their retirement. Collectively, that group of 13 will earn roughly $35 million in 2023.
Leading the pack is former Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis at $14.8 million. Davis, 37, retired in 2021 after a 13-year major league career. He led the league in home runs twice, made one All-Star appearance, earned the Silver Slugger Award in 2013 and signed a seven-year, $161 million extension in 2016. With $5.6 million in retained salary and $9.2 million in deferred compensation, Davis will earn more than any player currently on the Orioles roster. He will also receive roughly another $56 million through 2037.
Ken Griffey Jr. claims the second spot, with $3.6 million. The Hall of Famer joined the Cincinnati Reds in free agency on a nine-year, $116.5 million contract in 2000. Since his deal concluded after the 2008 season, during which he was traded to the Chicago White Sox before finishing his career in 2009 and 2010 with the Seattle Mariners, Griffey has received a payment just short of $4 million each year. It will pay out for the final time in 2024.
Rounding out the top five for 2023 are Jon Lester (Nationals, $3 million), Manny Ramirez (Red Sox, $2.03 million) and a tie between Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox) and Rafael Soriano (Nationals) at $2 million each. Robinson Cano is slated to earn a combined $24 million from the Mets and the Mariners in 2023, but his agency confirmed he has not officially retired. The same goes for Pedro Baez, who will collect $2 million from the Astros. The Orioles will cumulatively pay the most of any club this season, with $16.3 million going to retired players.
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Forget Bobby Bonilla. Chris Davis Leads MLB’s Highest-Paid Retired Players In 2023.
Justin BirnbaumForbes Staff
I cover the intersection of sports, business and technology.
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Mar 27, 2023,06:00pm EDT
Even after hanging up his cleats, the former Orioles slugger will earn $14.8 million in 2023.
ADAM GLANZMAN/GETTY IMAGES
Bobby Bonilla collected six All-Star nods, three Silver Slugger Awards and won the World Series with the Marlins in 1997. Yet his name lives in infamy as the face of deferred payments in baseball. Each year, on July 1, New York Mets fans let out a collective groan when they’re reminded that Bonilla agreed to restructure his five-year, $29 million deal signed in 1991 in exchange for an annual payment of $1.2 million, starting in 2011 and ending in 2035. But Bonilla, 60, isn’t the only player collecting checks long after his playing days.
MLB teams are still dishing out payments to at least 13 now-retired big leaguers, according to Spotrac data. That includes retained salaries and deferred payments, and excludes players not on rosters that have not explicitly announced their retirement. Collectively, that group of 13 will earn roughly $35 million in 2023.
Leading the pack is former Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis at $14.8 million. Davis, 37, retired in 2021 after a 13-year major league career. He led the league in home runs twice, made one All-Star appearance, earned the Silver Slugger Award in 2013 and signed a seven-year, $161 million extension in 2016. With $5.6 million in retained salary and $9.2 million in deferred compensation, Davis will earn more than any player currently on the Orioles roster. He will also receive roughly another $56 million through 2037.
Ken Griffey Jr. claims the second spot, with $3.6 million. The Hall of Famer joined the Cincinnati Reds in free agency on a nine-year, $116.5 million contract in 2000. Since his deal concluded after the 2008 season, during which he was traded to the Chicago White Sox before finishing his career in 2009 and 2010 with the Seattle Mariners, Griffey has received a payment just short of $4 million each year. It will pay out for the final time in 2024.
Rounding out the top five for 2023 are Jon Lester (Nationals, $3 million), Manny Ramirez (Red Sox, $2.03 million) and a tie between Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox) and Rafael Soriano (Nationals) at $2 million each. Robinson Cano is slated to earn a combined $24 million from the Mets and the Mariners in 2023, but his agency confirmed he has not officially retired. The same goes for Pedro Baez, who will collect $2 million from the Astros. The Orioles will cumulatively pay the most of any club this season, with $16.3 million going to retired players.