The Anthony Rendon Contract Is A Complete Disaster And I Feel Like More People Should Be Talking About It
It’s been zero days since the Los Angeles Angels did something really stupid. That number remains unchanged. You know, it wasn’t that long ago when the Los Angeles Angels had some hope. After they splurged for Anthony Rendón following the 2019 season, I think many people liked the core they were putting together. There were still a lot of question marks, but they had several players that most organizations would kill to have. In typical Los Angeles Angels fashion, they have found a way to fumble this bag spectacularly.
Someone will one day write a novel about the malpractice that is going on within the Los Angeles Angels organization. We've talked about Mike Trout's injuries, their mishandling of Shohei Ohtani, and the complete and utter dumpster fire that was this year's trade deadline. Those things are worthy of the criticism they've received, but rather quietly, I feel like people have forgotten just how much of a disaster Anthony Rendon's 7 year, 245 million dollar contract is.
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I'll cut the Los Angeles Angels a bit of slack. Most awful contracts are bad on paper. Everyone knew that Javier Báez would not last six good years in Detroit when Al Avila signed him after the 2021 season. But Rendon was money in Washington. His last year for the Nationals, he was an absolute revelation. Rendon finished third for the MVP and collected clutch hit after clutch hit for a team that won the World Series. I liked the signing at the time.
Injuries have played a huge part, but Anthony Rendon has not held up his end of the bargain. I've accepted that there will never be a salary cap in Major League Baseball, but there should be some sort of stipulation regarding conduct when a player signs a massive contract like this. There should be an effort clause. When you read the quotes he gives to the media, he seems completely apathetic. I think I speak for most fans when I say that the unknown is one of the most frustrating things about being a fan. It's been a long time since anyone has received an update regarding Rendon, and it doesn't seem like he's comfortable providing one on his own.
The Angels can't trade Rendón, but considering the roster they will have coming back next year, they're one of those teams that needs a full-on bottoming out. They're going to have to eat Rendon's contract regardless, but bringing him back might prevent the tank, assuming he ever comes back healthy, which he may never do.
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I'm writing about this right now because, until yesterday, I forgot about Anthony Rendon. There's been so much shit that the Los Angeles Angels have had to shovel that I've overlooked that they have a guy on the books for seven years, 245 million, who doesn't play for the team right now. I've called them a tragedy, which is an appropriate word to describe the Los Angeles Angels, but they are also a glorious train wreck. Things are going to get worse before they get better.