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3 worst Angels contracts from the last 10 years

By Zachary Rotman |
May 15, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) runs on
May 15, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) runs on / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
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The Los Angeles Angels have given out plenty of lengthy lucrative contracts over the years and most of them have not aged well in the slightest. Josh Hamilton was an absolute disaster. Albert Pujols wasn't a bad player by any means but he wasn't close to the player he was in St. Louis. C.J. Wilson wasn't great. The list goes on.

The Halos stayed away from those massive contracts and instead chose to spread their money around to fill multiple holes. How that will work remains to be seen, but there're reasons to be optimistic about the direction the club is headed in on that front.

For now, let's look at some of the worst contracts the Angels have given out in the last decade.

3) LA Angels pitcher Matt Harvey - 1 year/$11 million dollars

Matt Harvey was nicknamed The Dark Knight because of how dominant he was as a New York Met. He burst onto the scene in 2012 and immediately looked like an ace. He was an all-star in 2013 and following Tommy John Surgery bounced back and was an ace that helped lead the Mets to the World Series. He had a really good postseason that year too.

Things fell apart for Harvey after the 2015 season. He dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome, the exact same injury Jared Walsh had this past season, and that knocked him out of the 2016 campaign prematurely.

Harvey dealt with issues off the field as well and was eventually DFA'd by the Mets and traded to the Reds in 2018. He'd finish out that season with Cincinnati before hitting free agency. The Angels were the team to bet on a bounce-back despite the fact that he was three years and multiple injuries removed from the dominant pitcher he once was.

The Halos gave him $11 million dollars for one year. Normally one year deals wouldn't be on a list like this, but Harvey was just dreadful as an Angel. Things looked like they might be good when he allowed two runs in six innings in his first start in Oakland, but that couldn't be further from the truth. A 3-5 record with a 7.09 ERA in 12 starts resulted in Harvey being DFA'd and released in July. Harvey being involved in the Tyler Skaggs case isn't a good look either.

2) LA Angels infielder Zack Cozart - 3 years/$38 million dollars

Zack Cozart was a journeyman infielder for the Reds playing six seasons and doing nothing special. He had an OPS+ of 82 during those six seasons, placing him as a below-average shortstop. Cozart then had a random breakout in a contract year hitting 24 home runs with a .933 OPS. This happened in a season where a lot of hitters hit for more power than they used to. He was an all-star in that 2017 season for the Reds and was going to get paid because of it.

The Angels were the team foolish enough to give Cozart a three-year $38 million dollar deal to play third base for them. Cozart ended up playing parts of two seasons with the Halos, totaling 96 games. In those games, he slashed .190/.261/.296 with five home runs and 25 RBI. Cozart had a lowly 52 OPS+ and spent more time injured than on the field.

The worst part about this whole Cozart experience is what happened after the second season. In an effort to clear money up to sign a new star free agent, the Angels shipped Cozart off alongside Will Wilson to the Giants in exchange for cash or a player to be named later.

Not only did the Angels refuse to just release Cozart, they opted to send him elsewhere and in order to pay off the final year of his deal they attached Will Wilson to him. Wilson was the Angels' first-round pick in 2019 and was their fourth-ranked prospect at the time. Now he hasn't turned into much of anything, but that's still just atrocious asset management likely forced on by Arte Moreno.

1) LA Angels infielder Anthony Rendon - 7 years $245 million dollars

The money the Angels cleared off the books from the Zack Cozart trade was so they could sign this man, Anthony Rendon. To say this has been bad would be underselling. Rendon was at one point a consistent MVP candidate with Washington. He was the best position player on a team that won the World Series before signing with the Angels. Since that fateful day, things have gone downhill.

Rendon had a nice first season with the Halos, slashing .286/.418/.497 with nine home runs and 31 RBI. Rendon received some MVP consideration for his efforts, finishing 10th on the ballot. The problem is, this occurred during the shortened 60-game season. Rendon played in 52 of the 60 and played well but the Angels stunk anyway.

Since that season, he's had issues staying on the field and being productive. In the 105 games he has played, he has a 97 OPS+. The biggest highlight Rendon has had over the last two seasons was the home run he hit left-handed during the Reid Detmers no-hitter. While that was fun, that's not what the Angels brought him here for. They didn't bring him in to get suspended during a fight when he was already injured either.

There's a chance that Rendon gets off this list if he can ever stay healthy and help the Angels win games but things aren't trending in that direction.

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