Ken Griffey, Jr.

Being from Cincinnati, Griffey really wanted to play for his hometown Reds- so much so that he took less money than the Mariners offered, and deferred $12 million until after his nine-year deal ended. Since 2009, he’s making over $3 million per year through 2024.

The Hall of Famer hasn’t played professionally since 2010, yet is still cashing checks from the Reds. He even left them for a Seattle reunion to end his career. It never really worked out for the Reds during the Griffey tenure, as they only had a winning record once.