It has been a troublesome stretch for the Los Angeles Angels. After six seasons and no playoff appearances with generational famous person Shohei Ohtani on their roster, the Angels watched him head throughout city to hitch the Los Angeles Dodgers on a record-setting deal. The Dodgers have promptly gained the following two World Collection.
In an effort to construct a powerful roster round Ohtani, again in 2019, the Angels signed third baseman Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million deal. On the time, the transfer made some sense. Rendon had simply gained a championship with the Washington Nationals. He was a strong hitter and defender at a coveted place, coming off an All-Star and All-MLB First Group look. The Angels imagined a back-to-back punch within the batting order of Ohtani and Rendon, however that dream by no means actually materialized.
How’d that end up? Nicely… as you realize, Ohtani quickly jumped ship to their cross-town rivals. And… Rendon? Nicely… he has missed 75% of the video games the Angels have performed in. And he is nonetheless on the roster, set to be the highest-paid third baseman within the Main Leagues subsequent season.
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The Rendon Deal in Chilly, Arduous Numbers
When the Angels signed Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million contract, they dedicated to a mean annual worth of $35 million absolutely assured. The deal included a full no-trade clause, no opt-outs, and no efficiency bonuses. It was anticipated to anchor the franchise by way of the prime of each Rendon and Ohtani. As a substitute, it rapidly became one of the crucial costly sunk prices in baseball.
Rendon was productive through the shortened 2020 season, batting effectively and showing in 52 of 60 video games. That 12 months now appears like an outlier. Starting in 2021, accidents piled up at a shocking tempo. Throughout the 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 seasons, the Angels performed 810 video games. Rendon appeared in solely 205 of them, lacking 605 video games with a variety of accidents together with groin and hamstring strains, indirect harm, hip impingements, wrist surgical procedure, a fractured tibia, and most not too long ago a whole season misplaced with no single plate look.
Throughout that five-year stretch, the Angels paid Rendon roughly $152 million. For that funding, they acquired simply over 2 hundred video games, a small handful of house runs, and a cumulative OPS of .666. Which means the membership successfully paid him greater than $740,000 for each recreation he suited up. When calculated by plate look or by WAR, the numbers grow to be much more lopsided. Rendon delivered damaging or near-zero WAR in a number of seasons, giving the Angels minimal on-field worth whereas consuming a famous person wage slot.
A Huge Hole Between Wage and Manufacturing
To place Rendon’s wage in context, the highest-paid third basemen in latest seasons embody names like Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado, Rafael Devers, and Alex Bregman. These gamers have persistently pushed their groups’ offenses, logged full seasons, and competed for postseason berths. Rendon’s compensation is increased than all of them, but his availability and manufacturing lag far behind.
A .666 OPS locations him effectively under the league common, and much from the elite tier the Angels anticipated after they paid for a participant coming off a World Collection marketing campaign and a seven-plus WAR season. In 2025 alone, 136 gamers posted a greater OPS. Even evaluating Rendon to non-superstar regulars exposes a evident hole between what he’s paid and what he produces.
That hole turns into particularly stark when contemplating that the Angels’ contract was not insured in any significant method. Most mega-deals in baseball are uninsured as a result of premiums are exorbitant, however some golf equipment have traditionally coated parts of long-term commitments to injury-prone gamers. The Angels didn’t, which means each missed inning has been absorbed instantly on the staff’s books.
How It Went Fallacious
The Rendon signing was meant to push the Angels into competition throughout Ohtani’s prime. As a substitute, the staff by no means discovered its footing. Pitching continued to be a persistent weak spot, and the Rendon contract severely hampered the Angels’ capability so as to add depth or flexibility. The membership was locked right into a nine-figure deal for a participant who was hardly ever capable of take the sector.
Rendon’s accidents had been professional and quite a few, however the cumulative impact was devastating. The membership spent years ready for a bounce-back season that by no means arrived. Even when briefly wholesome, Rendon struggled to recapture the elite method and hole energy that outlined his Nationals tenure. Because the accidents mounted, the disconnect between wage and efficiency grew extra dramatic.
The Finish of the Highway
Rendon is on monitor to earn $38.6 million within the ultimate 12 months of his contract, which might make him the highest-paid third baseman in Main League Baseball. The Angels will lastly be freed from the deal after the season concludes. Until Rendon delivers one of the crucial inconceivable late-career turnarounds in latest reminiscence, the contract might be remembered as one of the crucial pricey miscalculations in trendy MLB historical past.
