LA Angels: Why the Anthony Rendon signing will pay off

The Los Angeles Angels signed free agent Anthony Rendon over the winter and it could turn into a sneaky-good acquisition for the Halos.

When the Los Angeles Angels came to an agreement with free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon on December 13, 2019, there may have been some mixed feelings on the transaction. While the signing was certainly a cause for some celebration, it also signaled that the team had pivoted a bit from its primary focus heading into the winter.

The Angels knew they had to make a big splash in free agency and many pundits expected them to be active. A team that had been decimated by injuries on the pitching front, the Halos were attached to nearly every big free agent arm on the market and the thought was that they would come away with at least one ace.

The team swung and missed on Garrett Cole, Stephen Strasburg, and Zack Wheeler. Then it failed to reel in smaller fish like Dallas Keuchel, Hyun-Jin Ryu, or Madison Bumgarner. Even trade targets like Corey Kluber escaped their clutches. In the end, the team made only minor additions to their pitching staff with trades for Dylan Bundy and Matt Andriese and a free agent pick-up in Julio Teheran.

However, the Angels didn’t come away empty-handed. The signing of Anthony Rendon was likely to happen anyway, even if he wasn’t the team’s primary need entering the winter. While the pick-up doesn’t solve the pitching woes the team has faced over the past several seasons, it still stands to be an addition that will pay off for the Angels in the long-term.

Let’s take a look at why the Rendon signing may be a sneaky-good pick-up for the Angels, both in the near team and the long-haul.