The Los Angeles Angels are a team with the reputation of getting themselves into some awful contracts. When the time is right for Arte Moreno, the Angels owner loves to bring in the big fish in free agency and surround that fish and a couple of other great players with a team not capable of winning anything.
With Moreno often refusing to go over the luxury tax, Angels teams are often built with a couple of massive contracts combined with players that are making at or close to the league minimum. This formula hasn't worked for the Angels as they've dealt with eight straight losing seasons.
As much as we'd love change, there are some contracts on this team that are so bad the team can't even get out of them. These are the four contracts on the roster that the Angels wish they were able to get off their books this offseason.
1) Anthony Rendon: 7 years, $245,000,000 through 2026
You knew he'd be here. The Anthony Rendon deal is not only one of the worst contracts in Angels history, it's on its way to being one of the worst contracts in MLB history. Yes, it's that bad.
In signing Rendon, the Angels thought they were getting one of the best players in baseball in his prime. He had just led the Nationals to a World Series title and was on the right side of 30. This didn't feel the same as the Angels signing an older Albert Pujols coming off his worst regular season. They didn't even sign him for as long as they signed the older Pujols! It's still wound up being far worse than the Pujols signing.
Rendon's first season with the Angels actually turned out to be a success. Sure, the team disappointed, but Rendon played in 52 of the 60 games and finished 10th in the AL MVP balloting. It's what has happened since that season that has made Angels fans completely turn on him.
Rendon has appeared in 148 out of a possible 486 games since the start of 2021. Remember, there are 162 games in one season. Rendon has not played the equivalent of one season in the last three years. Just astonishing stuff. In those games, he's slashed .235/.338/.364 with 13 home runs and 80 RBI. He has a 94 OPS+ and was horrific in the field in 2023. Not only has he barely played, he's been a below-average player when he has played.
The main cause of the missed games has been a bevy of injuries, but Rendon has even missed time due to suspensions. He's been just as big of a problem off the field than he has on it, which raises even more issues.
The Angels are stuck with him for another three years. Hopefully Ron Washington can find a way to get something out of him, but he's impossible to rely on. Just hope he doesn't do anything to negatively impact everyone else.