Ken Griffey Jr. is sixth highest-paid person on Reds 2022 payroll

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. is currently the sixth highest-paid person on the Cincinnati Reds payroll for the 2022 season, according to spotrac.

Griffey Jr. will receive $3.59 million in 2022 from the Reds.

Yes, you read the sentence correctly and do not need to get your eyes checked.

Griffey Jr. played his final year with the Reds in 2008 before retiring from baseball in 2010. The Kid spent nine seasons with the Reds.

Wondering why the Reds are still paying Griffey Jr. -- in 2022?

When the Reds acquired the future Hall of Famer from the Seattle Mariners in 2000, they signed him to a nine-year, $112.5 million deal, according to CBS Sports.

Around 50% of Griffey’s contract was deferred from 2009 until 2024, per the report.

That means Griffey receives nearly $3.6 million every season from 2009 through 2024.

The Reds are not the only team continuing to pay players well past their retirement. Perhaps the most famous of these contracts in baseball is the Bobby Bonilla deal with the New York Mets.

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