Anthony Rendon’s ill-fated tenure with the Los Angeles Angels may finally be coming to a close.
According to ESPN’s Alden González, the two sides “are in talks about buying out the final year of his contract, potentially bringing a resolution to the seven-year, $245 million deal that did not come close to paying dividends, a source told ESPN on Wednesday.”
Rendon, 35, was a one-time All-Star, one-time champion and two-time Silver Slugger during his seven seasons with the Washington Nationals to start his career, finishing top-10 in the MVP voting four times.
That made his 2020 signing a huge addition for the Angels, who were planning on pairing him with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani to create what they envisioned to be an elite core of players in the middle of the lineup.
That, of course, did not go to plan.
In parts of five seasons with the Angels, Rendon has managed just 22 homers in 257 games, posted a .717 OPS and hasn’t played more than 58 games in a single one of those campaigns.
His 3.9 total WAR with the Angels is nearly half of what he managed in just his final season with the Nationals (7.3 WAR).
While Rendon struggled with injuries and struggled to maintain the productivity that made him arguably the best all-around third baseman in the sport during his Washington days, the Angels cratered as well. Trout was unable to stay healthy for long stretches, while Ohtani ultimately departed for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Angels now have a playoff drought dating back to 2014. The arrival of Rendon was supposed to rectify that—instead, it will be remembered as one of the most disappointing signings in recent memory.