Darryl Strawberry hasn’t played for the Mets since 1990, but the team still owes him more than $1.2 million — and that money can be yours.
The IRS plans to auction off the right to collect roughly $1.28 million the Mets still owe to their slugging outfielder, whose career was beset by off-the-field struggles. The money will be paid in 223 monthly installments. The auction, set for Jan. 20, has a minimum bid of $550,000.
So why do the Mets still owe Strawberry money? And why can’t the former player collect it? The answer is a bit convoluted. According to ESPN New York , that $1.28 million was part of the team’s 1990 option for Strawberry. But $700,000 of that $1.8 million option was to be deferred, and paid through an annuity. Add 5.1 percent interest in the almost quarter-century since, and that $700,000 has grown to the current sum.
However, the IRS has seized the annuity to settle back taxes Strawberry still owes from several years between 1989 and 2004.
"Seizure and sale is the last thing we at the IRS want to do," IRS spokesperson Michael Devine told ESPN New York. ”This happens when a person doesn't dispute that they owe the money but can't or won't liquidate the property."
Strawberry became the toast of New York when the 21-year-old outfielder hit 26 home runs in his debut season with the Mets in 1983. But the eight-time All Star's career faded in his early 30s, as he struggled with off-the-field woes, including a drug-related suspension. After leaving the Mets following the 1990 season, Strawberry had stints with the Yankees, Dodgers and Giants.