Albert Belle, one the best hitters in baseball history, spent his first 8 seasons with the Cleveland Indians.
In October 1998, Belle signed a new free agent contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Belle signed for a new 5 years at $65 million becoming the highest paid player in baseball. Despite his extraordinary offensive numbers, there was concern about problems with his hip. He also had a terrible reputation as a difficult person to coach and be a teammate.
Despite these red flags, the Orioles still made him the highest paid player in baseball. In the first year he batted .297 with 37 home runs and 117 RBIs. In 2000 there was a slight drop-off. He batted .281 with 23 home runs and 103 RBIs. However, due to his degenerative hip, he never played again in the last three years. Albert Belle received full compensation for the full five years when he was only able to play in the 2 years.
