The miserable marriage between Anthony Rendon and the Angels may be nearing an end.
The two sides are discussing buying out the final year of his contract, according to ESPN’s Alden González.
The expectation, González added, is that Rendon will retire from baseball if they come to terms on a deal.
Rendon is owed $38 million in 2026 and the assumption that “he will defer at least part of that money, giving the team more financial flexibility to address needs this offseason,” per González.
Anthony Rendon #6 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts after hitting a line out in the third inning during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 4, 2024 in Anaheim, California. Getty Images
The potential deal could mark the end of a disastrous tenure for Rendon in Anaheim.
Coming off perhaps the best season of his career, Rendon left the Nationals after the 2019 season to join the Angels in free agency, signing a seven-year, $245 million contract to head to Southern California.
After a solid COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, it all went downhill for Rendon.
From 2021 to 2024, Rendon never played more than 58 games thanks to various injuries.
And he wasn’t great when on the field, posting a .666 on-base plus slugging during the four-year stretch.
He missed all of 2025 as he recovered from hip surgery.
If Rendon’s past comments are any indication, walking away from baseball won’t be too painful for him.
Anthony Rendon #6 of the Los Angeles Angels plays the ball to first base against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on August 22, 2024 in Toronto, Canada. Editorial Image Credit line info
In late 2023, Rendon told reporters that he had been considering retirement for “the last 10 years.”
Before the 2024 season, Rendon indicated that he wasn’t a big fan of playing baseball.
“It’s never been a top priority for me,” Rendon said, according to The Athletic. “This is a job. I do this to make a living. My faith, my family come before this job.
“So if those things come before it, I’m leaving.”
Earlier that year, Rendon had complained about the length of the MLB season during an appearance on the “Jack Vita Show.”
“We got to shorten the season, man. There’s too many dang games — 162 games and 185 days or whatever it is. Man, no. We got to shorten this bad boy up,” Rendon said.