 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.Garland's best season came in 1976 when he posted a win–loss record of 20–7.