Sacramento Kings
Is Anthony Rendon’s $245M Contract With the Angels the Worst in MLB History?
The 2019 World Series Champion Inked a Massive Contract With the Angels but Hasn’t Met Expectations
Big Regret
MLB rumors were confirmed recently when the Angels announced on Wednesday that their $245 million man, Anthony Rendon, would be out for the long term due to hip surgery looming in his immediate future.
Angels Bought a Lemon
A while back I had a friend who purchased a Rolex, and after the euphoria of having an expensive watch on his wrist subsided, he noticed it was continually running five minutes fast. Naturally, he took it back to the jeweler who sold it to him and was told that “Rolexes aren’t known for keeping time.” True story.
Angels GM Perry Minasian told reporters that Anthony Rendon will have hip surgery and be out “long-term” pic.twitter.com/dSOzjPfhBT
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) February 12, 2025
Well, the Angels purchased the equivalent of roughly 16,000 Rolexes and made MLB news when they signed a former Washington Nationals star. Anthony Rendon’s contract with LA called for a seven-year deal that would pay the third baseman nearly a quarter of a billion dollars back in 2019.
After smashing 34 home runs, 126 RBI, and batting .319 to lead the Nats to their first World Series title in 2019 with clutch home runs in games 6 and 7, Rendon has fallen off the map since donning an Angels uniform beginning in the 2020 season.
Injuries have plagued Rendon, and he didn’t do anything to endear himself to the fans last year when he was famously quoted as saying baseball has “never been a top priority for me.”
#MLBTonight reacts to the news of Angels 3B Anthony Rendon undergoing hip surgery. pic.twitter.com/28rOAbEfvc
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 12, 2025
Worst Deal Ever
The man who was once considered to be the face of the franchise will be 35 in June and played a total of 57 MLB games in 2024, which is the second most in his five seasons as an Angel, as he topped out at 58 games after the 2021 season.
Anthony Rendon’s stats from last season tell a familiar tale of his time in Los Angeles, rendering 0 dingers, 14 RBI, and a .218 batting average as he battled more injuries and only played roughly a third of the season. Rendon’s time on the shelf over the last five seasons has been attributed to a left groin, left knee, left hamstring, right wrist, and now again, a hip injury that will likely see him waiting til next year when he’s on the last year of his deal.
This was genuinely Anthony Rendon’s only moment as an Angel that wasn’t bad pic.twitter.com/Eyp4hDp5qI https://t.co/kPkHuYWtLn
— YankeeWrld (@YankeeWRLD) February 12, 2025
Another more recent pricey toy, and soon-to-be-father, Shohei Ohtani, signed a 10-year, $700 million contract before last season, moving from the moribund franchise that is the LA Angels to the reigning World Series champion LA Dodgers.
Contracts in baseball are guaranteed, so all a team can do is cross their fingers once the ink on the contract is dry. However, it should be noted that Ohtani delivered in his first season, bringing a World Series title to those who bleed Dodger blue. Therefore, no matter what Ohtani does in the future, the contract can never be considered a total failure, unlike Rendon’s.
The Angels have failed to finish above .500 in any of the last five seasons, and the betting lines say they will flounder yet again with 72 1⁄2 2025 regular season wins odds being the common total at many of the best sportsbooks, including BetUS. But the sharps I know who are already making their MLB picks and predictions are telling me to go low. And I believe them.
