Anthony Rendon and his contract continue to haunt Angels at 2025 trade deadline

Eric Cole

Los Angeles Dodgers v Los Angeles Angels / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

After an offseason that was surprisingly active, the Los Angeles Angels really do seem like a club that has taken a step forward in 2025. The addition of Yusei Kikuchi finally gave the Angels' rotation some real stability and we have finally gotten a breakout season from Jo Adell that fans have been waiting for seemingly forever. At 49-51 as of July 22, the idea that the Angels could entertain buying at the trade deadline isn't completely insane except for one very expensive problem.

Right now, the Angels are only four games out of a playoff spot and the wild card race in the AL is certainly the easier of the two leagues this season. Moreover, the clear roster needs they do have in the outfield and bullpen are two areas that can actually be addressed at the deadline with their prospect depth.

The problem is that Arte Moreno has seemed intent on limiting payroll in 2025 and the team is still paying Anthony Rendon via the worst contract in MLB history to sit on the trainer's table once again.

Anthony Rendon's contract is an albatross around the Angels' neck at the trade deadline

The Angels' tight payroll can't solely be blamed on Rendon. The Angels are apparently losing money and Moreno isn't the type of owner whatsoever to absorb losses to chase wins and build for the long-term. LA is also paying Mike Trout north of $37 million this season and while he is playing much better lately, his familiar injury issues have caused more than their fair share of problems.

However, Rendon's $38.5 million this year and next while other players play third base in his place looms the largest. Ownership clearly sees Rendon as a sunk cost that the Angels have to try and compensate for and the idea of taking on more payroll to add impact players that are likely going to leave at the end of the season feels very farfetched. When your most expensive player isn't likely to ever play for you again, spending more on a .500 team would be a tough sell for most owners, not just Moreno.

Now, giving Rendon that deal in the first place is almost certainly Moreno's fault, so he deserves zero sympathy. The most likely path for LA at the trade deadline is some mix of buying and selling where pending free agents of questionable value get new homes, but the Angels' core remains largely intact with some minor additions. Until Rendon's money is off the books, that may be the best Angels fans can hope for.

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Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.