The Los Angeles Angels are finalising a contract buyout for third-baseman Anthony Rendon, bringing a premature end to a seven-year, $245million deal widely criticised by supporters.
The End of a Disappointing Era
According to an ESPN report, the Angels are releasing Rendon from his contract as the player is expected to retire. Rendon is in the final year of his massive deal and was still owed $38 million for the 2026 season. The 2025 season saw him spend the entire year recovering from hip surgery, without playing a single game.
The specific structure of his buyout remains unclear, though there is an increasing likelihood that Rendon will accept deferred payments rather than a lump sum.
A Promising Start That Faded Quickly
Rendon signed with the Angels in 2019, fresh from a career-best season with the World Series-winning Washington Nationals. That standout 2019 campaign saw him achieve personal bests in home runs (34), RBI (126), batting average (.319), slugging percentage (.598) and OPS (1.010).
Los Angeles subsequently made him the highest-paid third-baseman in baseball with the landmark $245 million contract. Unfortunately, the investment immediately failed to deliver returns. Over the seven years of his deal, Rendon appeared in only about a quarter of all possible games for the California franchise.
While he managed a solid performance during the Covid-shortened 2020 season, the following four years were sub-par at best. From 2021 to 2024, he was only available for 205 of a possible 648 games, recording a poor slash line of .231/.329/.366 as he battled a devastating series of injuries.
Injury Plague and Waning Interest
Rendon's time with the Angels was defined by his time on the injured list. He sustained problems with his groin, knee, hamstring, shin, oblique, back, wrists, and hips. The situation culminated in February 2025, when the team announced he would miss the entire season to rehab at his home in Houston.
His offensive output dwindled dramatically; he hasn't hit a home run for the Angels since July 1, 2023, and he never played more than 58 games in a single season for the club.
Compounding fan frustration were Rendon's own public admissions. He repeatedly stated that baseball was "merely a job" to him, revealing a limited interest in the sport and confirming it was not his foremost priority. He expressed indifference towards accolades and public attention.
Unsurprisingly, fans have been celebrating the news of his departure on social media. One user on X declared it the "worst contract in the history of the mlb," adding, "Guy didn't even want to play baseball." Others called it an "all time heist" and suggested it would "go down as possibly the worst contract of all time." One comment summarised the rapid decline in his reputation: "This dude turned into one of the most unlikable guys super fast. What a speedrun."
