 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.