5 most disappointing Angels free agent signings of the last 5 years

4) Ryan Tepera

While the rotation has been a major problem for years, the bullpen hasn't been much better. The Angels have failed to develop much reliever talent internally and Perry Minasian looked to bring some talent from outside of the organization.

Tepera had been a quality reliever throughout his seven-year career and was coming off a strong year in 2021. The right-hander spent time with both Chicago teams and wound up posting a 2.79 ERA in 65 appearances. He seemed like a perfectly capable set-up man for the Angels on fairly reasonable money. The Angels gave him a two-year deal worth $14 million.

His first year in Anaheim wasn't all too bad. He had some rocky moments and saw his strikeout numbers plummet, but he was mostly fine in middle relief. His 2023 season was a completely different story. The now 36-year-old made just ten appearances for the Angels this season. He missed time due to injury, and was DFA'd in mid-May.

Tepera failing to finish two seasons after coming to Anaheim with a large track record of being successful was certainly disappointing. At least the Angels cut bait before things truly got out of hand with him.

3) Tyler Anderson

The 2022 season was a rare time when the Angels actually got solid production out of their starters. The team ranked sixth in the majors in starting pitching ERA, and were only destined to improve with Griffin Canning set to return after a year missed due to injury. Despite their success, the Angels still needed one more arm to fortify the rotation further. The Halos settled on Tyler Anderson very early on.

The southpaw was nothing more than a back-end starter in his career before joining the Dodgers in 2022. In his lone season with the Dodgers, Anderson was an all-star and one of the best pitchers in the National League. The Angels did not expect him to replicate that season based on his three-year contract worth just $39 million, but they did expect him to be a consistent cog in the rotation. He was anything but.

Anderson's first season with the Angels was nothing short of disastrous. He had a 5.43 ERA in 27 starts for the Angels this past season. The only positive from Anderson is he was able to stay mostly healthy.

There are two more years left on Anderson's deal which is obviously not ideal, but also gives him a chance to prove he was deserving of at least some of the contract. For now, the signing is extremely disappointing.

2) Aaron Loup

Aaron Loup came to Anaheim with expectations that might have been a bit unrealistic, but it's easy to see why. He had spent most of his career as a decent left-handed specialist but had broken out in a huge way with the Mets in the 2021 season.

Loup had an ERA of 0.95 in 65 appearances and had allowed just two runs in 48 appearances after the calendar turned to June. He was absurdly dominant for the Mets, and was looking to cash in. The Angels gave him a two-year deal worth $17 million including a third-year club option to serve as their late-game left-handed reliever.

The Angels thought they had done well in the 2021 offseason to build their bullpen by inking Loup and Tepera on deals and also bringing back Raisel Iglesias on a massive four-year deal. None of the three deals wound up working out.

Like Tepera, Loup's performance was passable in 2022 but didn't quite reach expectations. There were stretches he pitched very well throughout the season, but he also had his share of struggles. He notably struggled during the Angels 14-game losing streak.

While Loup was passable in 2022, he was not usable this past season. He had a 6.10 ERA in 55 appearances, and was quite bad from start to finish. He blew the game on Opening Day in Oakland and it felt like that set the tone for his entire season. The Angels rejected his club option and Angels fans everywhere rejoiced. As disappointing as Loup's Angels tenure wound up being, he's still not the most disappointing contract the Angels have handed out in free agency over the last half-decade.

1) Anthony Rendon

You knew he'd be here, and he will continue to be on lists like these for a long time. The Anthony Rendon contract is not only one of the worst in Angels history, but it's becoming one of the worst in MLB history. He's that bad.

First, let's start on the field. Rendon played well in 2020 but has been a non-factor since. He's averaged just 49 games played in the last three seasons, posting an OPS+ of 94 since the start of 2021. He's barely played due to a bevy of injuries and when on the field, he's been a below-average hitter. The highest-paid player on the Angels right now (on a team that had Trout and Ohtani) has been a below-average hitter. Just mind-boggling.

Rendon's troubles have not only been on the field, but he's been just as bad off of it. He's been a distraction by refusing to behave in a professional manner with the media. He's been suspended twice due to incidents off the field, getting into a fight with a fan and with the Mariners. It's all bad.

Rendon signed a seven-year deal worth $245 million to come to Anaheim. He came to the Angels following a year in which he led Washington to a World Series championship and finished as an NL MVP finalist. Since coming to Anaheim he's played well in a shortened season and done nothing since. While the Angels are stuck with him for another three years, at least things can't get much worse than they've already been.