Brewers shell out $2.8 million to former outfielders on "Bobby Bonilla Day"

The calendar officially reads July this morning, much to the dismay of Mark Attanasio's checkbook. That's because July 1 is the day when deferred payments included in the contracts of major leaguers are paid out.

The day has unofficially become known as Bobby Bonilla Day. Bonilla is a former New York Mets All-Star who holds one of the most unique contracts in MLB history. He had a stint with the Mets in the early 90s, one that resulted in an All-Star game appearance and a completely normal contract. However, once that contract expired, Bonilla signed a new deal with the Florida Marlins in the offseason prior to their 1997 World Series win.

After a stop in Los Angeles with the Dodgers, Bonilla went back to the Mets, where he was still owed nearly $6 million. At that point in his career, however, Bonilla wasn't a productive big leaguer any longer, and the Mets opted to buy out his contract. Rather than pay out the $5.9 million in a one-time payment, the front office elected to instead pay roughly $1.2 million in deferred payments every year from 2011 to 2035, and Bobby Bonilla Day was born.

Since Bonilla's contract restructuring in 2000, deferred payments have become much more common. In fact, the day might soon become known as Shohei Ohtani Day, as the Dodgers' superstar is owed an eye-popping $68 million a year from 2034 to 2043. While the Brewers will never pay out anywhere near $68 million in deferred payments, they do have their own mini-Bonilla Day with money going to two of their former outfielders every July 1 for the foreseeable future.

Ryan Braun earns $1.8 million deferred payment today, Lorenzo Cain earns $1 million

Up until Christian Yelich's nine-year, $215 million contract extension in 2020, the richest contract in Brewers history belonged to their 2010s franchise cornerstone, Ryan Braun. Back in 2011, Brauny extended his current contract to last through the 2020 season, which cost the Brewers $105 million for five more years. To handle the financial burden, the front office elected to defer some of Braun's contract to after his playing days were over. As such, Braun is owed $1.8 million on every July 1 starting a few years ago in 2022 and extending to 2031.

Meanwhile, the third-most expensive contract in Brewers history (and largest free-agent contract) was given to Lorenzo Cain in the 2017-18 offseason. Cain earned a five-year, $80 million contract to re-join the Crew after coming up in the Brewers farm system eight years prior. The Brewers elected to defer some of Cain's contract as well, but the former Gold Glove center fielder is owed just $1 million a year between 2023 and 2027 — paling in comparison to what the Mets are on the hook for with Bonilla.

In the grand scheme of things, $2.8 million may not seem like a lot, even for a small-market team like the Brewers, but it could be the difference between signing a bench bat or a late-innings reliever or even reaching an arbitration agreement with one of their key pieces. Even still, the production that the Brewers got from Braun and Cain throughout their time with the Crew (even if Cain's value dropped off at the end) was well worth the payments that will be made to them on Bobby Bonilla Day for the next few years.