Ex-Mets GM wants everyone who’s ‘laughed (at) and mocked’ him to apologize

Steve Phillips’ lasting legacy on the New York Mets has nothing to do with a World Series appearance in 2000 but a buyout the former general manager negotiated that owner Steve Cohen is still paying for now — and will continue to do so until 2035.
That, of course, belongs to Bobby Bonilla, the former Mets slugger who became more famous for the deferred payments on his contract than his 287 career home runs over 16 seasons. The Mets pay Bonilla $1.19 million every July 1, including 8% interest, in an agreement that came in 2000. Deferred-money deals reached a climax with Shohei Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers contract last season — 10 years, $700 million, with $680 million deferred — and now Phillips wants credit for becoming a trendsetter.
“I am open for apologies from all of you, everybody. Everybody who’s ever laughed and mocked on July 1, Bobby Bonilla day, I am willing to accept apologies from all of you, because I am the grandfather of deferred compensation,” Phillips said on MLB Network Radio on Wednesday. “I am the grandfather. The Bobby Bonilla deal has set the tone, and the Dodgers are now over $1 billion in deferred compensation for exactly the same reason that we deferred money with Bobby Bonilla. And they also add to that debt, a debt of gratitude to me for showing the way for the deferred compensation path, and for all of you who have mocked me along the way, every July 1, where I get the horrible Twitter messages from people about what a dope I am, no wonder I’m not a GM anymore, then they go into every other thing else in my life.”
The major difference between the agreement Phillips reached with Bonilla — which started in 2011 and will last through 2035 — is that it came via a buyout on a $5.9 million contract. Even though Bonilla had a career .829 OPS, the then-36-year-old was coming off 60 games in which he posted a .579 OPS as a declining veteran. He retired after two more seasons.
The World Series-winning Dodgers signed Ohtani as one of the game’s superstars last offseason, and they took the same approach with recent additions, pitcher Blake Snell and Tommy Edman, this offseason.
Snell’s $182 million contract, announced Saturday, includes $66 million in deferred money payable to the pitcher through July 1, 2046, according to contract terms obtained by The Associated Press.
Edman’s $74 million, five-year deal, announced Friday, includes $25 million payable to the infielder and outfielder through July 1, 2044.
Los Angeles now owes deferred payments of $1,006,500,000 to seven players from 2028-46. Those players also include first baseman Freddie Freeman, catcher Will Smith, outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and infielder/outfielder Mookie Betts.
“Yes, I say to all of you, I accept your apologies,” Phillips said. “In many regards, the Dodgers are able to defer the money they are because they’re going to put it in a fund, because you’ve got to start this, you know, basic baseball doesn’t let you commit the money without some idea the money is going to be there, right? So you put it in a fund and you let that money grow over the period of time to over a billion dollars in deferred compensation right now and they’re not even batting an eye about it. And so you’re welcome, everybody. You’re welcome.”
Not everyone bought Phillips’ plea, with ex-MLB player Xavier Scrubbs, now an ESPN and MLB Network broadcaster, writing to X, “My guy @StevePhillipsGM is a clown ha.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story
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