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Giancarlo Stanton and 10 Athletes Who Signed Ridiculous Contracts

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10 of the Most Ridiculous Contracts In Sports History

Giancarlo Stanton
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Giancarlo Stanton and the Miami Marlins have just made baseball history with a contract worth $325 million over 13 years. It's a staggering amount of money to spend on an athlete to say the least. But the truth is that Stanton never signs this deal without all of the ridiculous contracts that came before.

Here are 10 of the most eye-popping/controversial deals in sports history, the majority of which, did not work out:

10. Ben Wallace - 4 Years/$60 Million

Chicago Bulls v Charlotte Bobcats
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10. Ben Wallace - 4 Years/$60 Million

Chicago Bulls v Charlotte Bobcats
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'Big' Ben Wallace was coming off quite a run with the Detroit Pistons when the Chicago Bulls came calling in the summer of 2006. Despite his offensive shortcomings, Chicago ponied up $60 million over four years. Unfortunately for the Bulls, Wallace only made it a season and a half in the Windy City before being traded away.

9. Barry Zito - 7 Years/$126 Million

Jul 14, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito (75) after a home run by San Diego Padres catcher Nick Hundley (back) during the second inning Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
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9. Barry Zito - 7 Years/$126 Million

Jul 14, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito (75) after a home run by San Diego Padres catcher Nick Hundley (back) during the second inning Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today Sports

The San Francisco Giants thought they were getting the three-time All-Star and Cy Young Award winner they had seen in Oakland back in 2007. What they got, was a guy who failed to ever keep his ERA under 4.00 over seven seasons with the Giants.

8. JaMarcus Russell - 6 Years/$61 Million

JaMarcus Russell
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8. JaMarcus Russell - 6 Years/$61 Million

JaMarcus Russell
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Russell was supposed to be the next big thing when he entered the NFL in 2007. The Oakland Raiders took him No. 1 overall, and signed him to the most lucrative rookie contract in league history. Russell hasn't played a down of NFL football since 2009. Yeah...

7. Stephon Marbury - 4 Years/$76 Million

Stephon Marbury smiles
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7. Stephon Marbury - 4 Years/$76 Million

Stephon Marbury smiles
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The Suns inked Marbury to a massive deal back in 2003. They would have essentially been stuck with him for the entirety of the deal if it weren't for Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks. Phoenix dropped Starbury and was eventually able to land Steve Nash. That's what you call a big time, franchise-altering win.

6. Michael Vick - 10 Years/$137 Million

Atlanta Falcons v Carolina Panthers
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6. Michael Vick - 10 Years/$137 Million

Atlanta Falcons v Carolina Panthers
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The Michael Vick-Atlanta story ended about as poorly as possible -- with the QB headed to prison. But not before the Falcons signed him to a 10-year contract worth $130 million. During the time before he went to prison, Vick managed a .500 starting QB record and drove fans crazy with his up-and-down play.

5. Eddy Curry - 6 Years/$56 Million

New York Knicks Media Day 2010
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5. Eddy Curry - 6 Years/$56 Million

New York Knicks Media Day 2010
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Curry signed his big deal in 2005, and did alright for the first couple of years. But from 2008-2010, he played in just 10 total games. He's now just another name in the long line of FA busts for the Knicks.

4. Albert Haynesworth - 7 Years/$100 Million

December 17, 2011; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (95) during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE
USA Today Sports

4. Albert Haynesworth - 7 Years/$100 Million

December 17, 2011; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (95) during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE
USA Today Sports

Haynesworth is still a sore topic of conversation for fans of the Washington Redskins. To say that his tenure in D.C. didn't go well after the singing of his massive $100 million deal, would be an understatement. The dude mailed it in, and as a result, there's still beef between he and then Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan.

3. Vin Baker - 7 Years/$87 Million

Vin Baker #42
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3. Vin Baker - 7 Years/$87 Million

Vin Baker #42
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At least this contract flop was more about not living up to the hype than it was about Baker not deserving it. Because in fairness to the big man, he was a four-time All-Start heading into the 1999 season. The problem? His production started to fall off a cliff about two years into his new mega deal.

2. Gilbert Arenas - 6 Years/$111 Million

Washington Wizards
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2. Gilbert Arenas - 6 Years/$111 Million

Washington Wizards
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Agent Zero had a good run with the Washington Wizards back in the early-to-mid 2000s. But once he inked his gigantic contract in 2008, things didn't go so well. The infamous gun incident and Injuries essentially ended Arenas' career, but in 2013 he was still one of the highest paid players in sports, despite not taking the court for a single minute.

1. Alex Rodriguez - 10 Years/$275 Million

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v New York Yankees
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1. Alex Rodriguez - 10 Years/$275 Million

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v New York Yankees
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This huge contract looked bad back in 2008. Now, it looks absolutely awful. A-Rod is trying to fight his way back to relevancy after a year-long suspension from MLB in 2014, and it's unknown whether he's even capable of playing a full season at close to the level he once performed at. He's 39, overpaid and hated by a ton of Yankees fans. Not exactly a great scenario for the Bronx Bombers moving forward as they try to retool.

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