The Los Angeles Angels are in talks to buy out the final year of Anthony Rendon’s contract with the team. Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with Los Angeles before the 2020 season. The star third baseman is owed $38 million for 2026. He is expected to retire.
Anthony Rendon’s Career
Rendon was drafted in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft by the Washington Nationals. During his seven years in Washington, he was a two-time Silver Slugger winner, and he was selected to play in one MLB All-Star Game. He finished in the top ten of the National League MVP voting three times. In his final year as a National (2019), he slashed .319/412/.598. He led the NL in doubles (44) and RBI (126) and added 34 home runs, 80 walks, and 117 runs scored.
After that magical 2019 season, in which Washington won their first World Series, the Nationals were forced to choose between two of their biggest stars. They ended up re-signing ace Stephen Strasburg over Rendon. Two days later, the slugger signed that big seven-year deal with Los Angeles. The 2020 season ended up shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Rendon slashed .286/.418/.497 with nine homers and 31 RBI in 52 games. He finished tenth in the AL MVP voting.
Sadly, that would be Rendon’s last healthy season. Over the next five seasons, he would play in only 205 of the Angels’ 810 games, batting just .231 with a combined 13 homers and 100 RBI. He had multiple hip surgeries, a wrist injury, a fractured tibia, a hamstring tear, and an oblique injury during those five seasons.
Los Angeles’ Big Decision 
Aug 22, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) throws to first base to force out Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Will Wagner (not shown) in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn
While you cannot fault Rendon for his injuries, his attitude did not help matters when it came to the patience of the team and its fans. Rendon made it clear early in his career that he did not enjoy baseball. It was just a job for him. When a player signs a huge contract, there are expectations. When you make it clear that your job is not a priority, people start to wonder if you should have that job. His attempt to strike a fan did not help his reputation.
Rendon had all the talent to be a superstar in the league–a power bat, a cannon for an arm, and a sure glove. He just did not have the desire to play the game. The more that became clear, the more Los Angeles looked dumb for making such a big investment in him and for not getting rid of him sooner. Perhaps if the Angels cut bait sooner, they would still have Shohei Ohtani. They certainly could have offered the Japanese star more money or surrounded Ohtani and star outfielder Mike Trout with better talent. Instead, they chose to keep trusting in the man who didn’t want to be there.
End Of My Anthony Rendon Rant 
Aug 23, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) watches his ground ball against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn
The Angels have invested a ton of money in players who could not stay healthy over the last ten years. Trout, Rendon, Albert Pujols, Justin Upton, and even Ohtani had more than their share of injuries during that span. Those other players, though, all loved the game. They wanted to play. It escapes me how Los Angeles thought that the Rendon contract was going to work out when they knew that he did not want to play the game. So, now the Angels finally want to buy out Rendon’s last year. Why the wait?
I get it with Trout. He is the face of the franchise. He holds franchise records and has been loyal to the team for his entire career. It makes sense to keep him in the fold. Rendon never made sense to begin with, but with each passing year, it became more and more detrimental to keep him around. So, now the team is going to try to stretch out that last $38 million like the New York Mets did with Bobby Bonilla.
Ohtani is gone. Trout is almost done. Pujols is retired. Upton is done. The Angels haven’t had a winning season since 2015, and they have a long rebuild ahead of them. Rendon is just the next step in that process. Their fans can only hope that the team spends their money more wisely moving forward.