Wayne Garland

Garland's best season came in 1976 when he posted a win–loss record of 20–7. He signed a 10-year, $2.3 million contract with the Indians as a free agent prior to the 1977 season (which was the first season of large-scale free agency in Major League Baseball). However, he failed to reach the heights of his 1976 season, going on to record a 28–48 win-loss record with Cleveland. Despite being released by the Indians five years into the deal on January 29, 1982, he was still paid by the ballclub an estimated $210,000 a year through 1986.

Marcus Wayne Garland (born October 26, 1950) is a retired American right-handed pitcher who spent nine seasons from 1973 to 1981 in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles (1973–1976) and Cleveland Indians (1977–1981). He was one of 24 ballplayers who profited from the advent of MLB free agency following the 1976 season. A torn rotator cuff rendered his playing career into a cautionary tale of the risks of signing pitchers to free-agent contracts of seven years or longer. The article outlined how Garland was constantly criticized by Cleveland's incompetent management for not living up to his contract (even though his decline in performance was entirely due to a serious arm injury that could not be fixed effectively by mid-1970s sports medicine) and had fans savagely booing him and even vandalizing his car during games.