Darryl Strawberry's contract fetches $1.3M at tax auction

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. - The Internal Revenue Service has auctioned off for $1.3 million the deferred compensation agreement that was part of Darryl Strawberry's 1985-90 contact with the New York Mets.

St. Louis-based IRS spokesman Michael Devine says the winning bidder Tuesday in Fairview Heights, Illinois, chose to remain anonymous.

The minimum bid was $550,000. Tuesday's bidding was first reported by ESPN, which says the buyer will get a monthly check from the Mets for $8,891.82 over the next 18-plus years.

A Florida federal judge ordered the sale to satisfy tax liens for Strawberry's federal tax debts for 1989, 1990, 2003 and 2004. That judge still must approve the sale.

A payment of 20 percent of the minimum bid was required by bidders. The buyer has 60 days to come up with the remainder.