Framber Valdez drama with Astros giving Angels fans Anthony Rendon flashbacks

If Framber Valdez actually did cross up his own catcher on purpose, then he has to be one of the worst teammates in baseball. For those who are unfamiliar, the Houston Astros' ace may or may not have purposely beamed his own catcher Cesar Salazar out of frustration. Both Valdez and Salazar claim that the catcher clicked "the wrong button" on PitchCom, which caused the southpaw to fire a 93 MPH heater into the backstop's chest protector. Now, whether or not Valdez actually did plunk his own catcher, many people have pointed out that Valdez's complete lack of remorse for the cross up is a gigantic showing of disrespect.

The Valdez story is a massive distraction for the Houston Astros, who are playing very mediocre baseball of late and need a strong finish to the season to hold off the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers for the American League West title. Completely unnecessary drama added to a team makes Angels fans harken back to a high-priced former star/champion who they might not have thought about for a while.

Framber Valdez drama with Astros giving Angels fans Anthony Rendon flashbacks

Anthony Rendon spending the entire 2025 season away from the ballclub has been a gigantic breath of fresh air for fans, and likely the Angels' front office and training staff (one fewer player to constantly work on). When Rendon spends time around the team, he adds a layer of disturbances that nobody needs. Whether it's the mere fact that he makes more average annual value as Mike Trout, yet is somehow injured more often and far less productive...or that he provides the media quotes that circulate heavily regarding his varying levels of interest in the sport...or during the offseason was reportedly not taking Ron Washington's phone calls...or slapped out an Athletics fan after a game...it's hard to make the case that Rendon is the best of players to have in one's clubhouse.

Rendon never tried to injure a teammate like Valdez, and he even used his hand that was in a cast to slap out a Mariners player during a brawl back in 2022. Rendon, by all accounts, is a super laid-back, chill dude and his teammates probably enjoy his company. It's not fair to compare the character of people on any level, but the fact of the matter is Rendon's name will likely pop up if one's making a "bad MLB teammates" list.

The Angels have held onto Rendon's contract and not invoked a nuclear option (releasing him) because they do not want to defer a single cent of his payments beyond 2026. Arte Moreno, John Carpino and Perry Minasian are content to have Rendon spend time with his family and pay him ~$38 million to be away from the clubhouse. They do not want to deal with the Rendon drama anymore, and do not be surprised whatsover when the third baseman is once again placed on the 60-day IL and is sent away for the entirety of next season too.

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