Angels fans know all too well why Kyle Tucker's free agency raises red flags

It has been years since the Los Angeles Angels have been real players for a top free agent like Kyle Tucker. Thanks to gross mismanagement that starts (and often ends) with owner Arte Moreno, the Angels have become more of a punch line of an organization across the league as details of how the team operates continue to be revealed. However, one of their biggest mistakes also serves as a cautionary tale for those pursuing Tucker.

Every Angels fan with a pulse knows the timeline of Anthony Rendon's tenure with LA. He signed a very lucrative contract as a free agent and then proceeded to be hurt constantly while proclaiming to the world that baseball was not his top priority. It did not take long for Rendon and his seeming lack of love for the game to make him a villain up until Rendon and the Angels finally worked out a buyout and formalized their divorce.

Now, with rumors spreading that Tucker may have a lack of enthusiasm about baseball, which may be spooking some teams, Angels fans are nodding and noting that they have seen this movie before.

Discourse around Kyle Tucker is starting to sound a lot like Anthony Rendon's Angels tenure

Again, the situations are a bit different when it comes to position and player profile, as well as the amount of money involved. However, if you were just to throw out the generic description of "exceptionally talented players on both sides of the ball with injury questions and debatable commitment to being a professional baseball player", Angels fans would probably think they were talking about Rendon. However, the same may be said about Tucker.

There is some more uncertainty as to where Tucker stands versus Rendon, though. For a while now, there have been whispers about Tucker's motivation, and it is certainly weird that he has lingered this long on the market. However, Tucker has had two years with injuries before he got paid, which could be a hangup, while Rendon "at least" waited until he got his bag for his body to completely implode on itself.

To stay among the game's elite in baseball requires a real commitment and a real work ethic. Given how long Tucker took to recover from a pair of somewhat odd injuries, it is understandable that teams are apprehensive about him, given what it will cost to sign him. As the Angels had to find out the hard way with Rendon, anything less than a whole-hearted effort is not likely to end well for anyone involved.