3 worst Angels contracts from the last 10 years

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.

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.