Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is expected to retire, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. Rendon, 35, is owed $38 million next season. A buyout has not been finalized, but Rendon is expected to defer some of his salary to give the Angels more payroll flexibility.
Rangers fans thankful Angels outbid favorite team for Anthony Rendon after latest news
The Rangers were interested in Rendon when he was a free agent during the 2019-20 offseason, offering the 2019 World Series champion a six-year, $192 million contract. Instead, he signed a seven-year, $245 million deal with the Angels.
Sure, Rangers fans have been happy for quite some time that Texas didn’t sign Rendon, but the report that he is retiring 100% confirms that the Rangers are lucky the Angels offered more for the third baseman.
In seven years with the Washington Nationals, Rendon posted 30.3 bWAR and a 126 OPS+. He was widely viewed as one of the best third basemen in baseball, and it appeared he was on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory. However, he struggled significantly after signing with the Angels, posting just 3.3 bWAR and a 100 OPS+ over five seasons. Injuries plagued his career with Los Angeles, as he never reached 60 games played in any of his five years with the Angels. He had his best season as an Angel by far during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, where he posted 2.2 bWAR and a 150 OPS+ in 52 games.
Without looking further into the situation, one could assume injuries are the only reason Rendon struggled as an Angel. However, many in the game and media members have long questioned Rendon’s desire to win after signing his deal with Los Angeles. In fact, his former teammate (and former Ranger), outfielder Kevin Pillar, recently spoke about it on the Foul Territory show.
When you sign a large deal, you owe it to the team to put your best foot forward, says @KPILLAR4.
“I don’t think people inside the clubhouse, the front office, and the ownership group believe Anthony Rendon put forth his best effort every single day.” pic.twitter.com/lQGXdFmiQ4
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 26, 2025
Not to say that Rendon brought zero effort to the Angels, but he likely could have tried a bit more. Sure, some of his injuries may not have been his fault, but his desire to play the game of baseball seemed low. It’s hard not to speculate that once he signed his big deal with the Angels, he felt there was nothing to play for anymore.