Shohei Ohtani's contract has Bobby Bonilla beat and then some

Former New York Mets star Bobby Bonilla once reached an agreement with the team to defer his salary for the 2000 season and receive yearly payments of $1 million, which began in 2011 and will end in 2035. His deferred payments come every July 1, and thus today is "Bobby Bonilla Day."

Interestingly enough, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have a similar situation on their hands with Shohei Ohtani when his contract expires. The two-way star joined the Dodgers last offseason on a 10-year, $700 million contract, the largest such deal in North American professional sports history.

But the contract was structured in such a way that Ohtani will make only $2 million per year rather than $70 million, leaving money to spend for the Dodgers to spend as a result of him deferring the vast majority of his money.

After his contract expires, he'll receive annual payments of $68 million from 2034-2043. That's more than twice as much as Bonilla will have made by the end of his deferrals.

Shohei Ohtani has Bobby Bonilla beat in deferrals

Over the years, "Bobby Bonilla Day" has been celebrated by baseball fans, knowing that the Mets are stuck paying Bonilla $1 million until 2035. This will ultimately leave Bonilla with a total of $250 million in deferrals from the Mets.

But Ohtani's deferrals are more than double what Bonilla is receiving. So, while Bonilla's deferrals leave him with a lot of money, it's nowhere close to what Ohtani will have received by 2043. $68 million in deferrals per year will leave him with a total $680 million by the end of the 2043 season.

In the end, the Dodgers may end up being financially crippled by these deferrals. Though they play in a large market and are one of the wealthiest franchises in sports, there might be some complications later.

For now, the Dodgers have extra money to spend on stars, but it might be tough after the contract is up in 2033, especially if other players choose to defer certain amounts of money in their contracts. Los Angeles will be stuck paying Ohtani $68 million per year well after he retires.

Perhaps this will become the next Bobby Bonilla Day. Bonilla will have received deferred payments for 15 years longer than Ohtani will, yet Ohtani will make more than double what Bonilla will be paid when all is said and done.

This article was originally published on fansided.com as Shohei Ohtani's contract has Bobby Bonilla beat and then some.