It’s been a couple of weeks since reports first emerged that the Los Angeles Angels and third baseman Anthony Rendon were set to discuss contract buyout options with $38 million and one year remaining on the 35-year-old’s contract.

Since then, there has been no progression in these talks. Early on Monday, The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli reported that despite the lack of talks, the Angels are planning to fill out its roster as if Rendon is not on the roster, whether or not he actually is or not.

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Ghiroli claimed Rendon and the Angels have yet to initiate formal discussions surrounding a buyout agreement. This apparently does not affect how the Halos will operate this offseason, however. Whether Rendon remains on the roster after a contract restructuring, release, or buyout, the Angels will be filling out their roster this winter without Rendon as a possibility at the hot corner.

As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register said on Monday, it’s possible that the two sides will not reach an agreement. With initial reports stating Rendon’s plan to retire, news that he is continuing rehab calls into question whether Rendon has truly played his last game of baseball. Where, if at all, Rendon will play again is a mystery for now, with both sides failing to progress in contract conversations.

2026 would be the final year that Rendon is on the books for the Halos, who signed the 2019 World Series champion to a seven-year, $245 million deal before the 2020 season. The contract turned out to be one of the worst not only in Angels history, but in all of baseball history.

Rendon has played just 257 games in a Halos uniform across six seasons. During an Angels tenure marked by injury after injury, Rendon hasn’t lived up to any expectations put on him when he signed the massive contract. When he has played for the Angels, he hasn’t been great. Rendon had just one season, 2020, with an OPS+ above league average. He’s totaled just 3.9 WAR since joining the Angels, nearly half of what he tallied in his contract season with the Washington Nationals (7.3).

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Rendon didn’t work in Anaheim, prompting the Halos to put an early end to his contract. Strangely, however, there hasn’t been any progress on buyout talks, and for now, the Angels will still be on the books for all $38 million owed to Rendon in 2026. If the Angels want some more spending money as the winter meetings start, figuring out how to free up the Rendon money should be the top priority.