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

The last five years have been frustrating ones for the Los Angeles Angels. Despite rostering Shohei Ohtani for that entire time, the team failed to make the playoffs a single time and even failed to put together a winning season.

A big reason for the Angels failures is their inability to succeed in the free agent market. They've had some successes in recent years bringing in guys like Matt Moore, Carlos Estevez, and Brandon Drury, but have had many more busts come to Anaheim.

5) Noah Syndergaard

A constant need for the Angels in recent memory has been starting pitching. They're consistently among the worst in the American League in starting pitching, and that's been the cause of their downfall for many years. With that in mind, the Angels brought in Noah Syndergaard to try and fortify their rotation ahead of the 2022 season.

Syndergaard had developed into one of baseball's best starting pitchers with the Mets but had made just two starts since 2019 prior to coming to Anaheim. The Angels gave him a one-year deal worth $21 million and also sacrificed a draft pick as Syndergaard received and rejected the Qualifying Offer.

The Angels hoped Syndergaard would put together a strong season in 2022 as the team attempted to push for the playoffs. The right-hander wasn't bad, but also didn't live up to the hype.

His 3.83 ERA in 15 starts wasn't so bad, but he clearly lost a ton of velocity and managed to strikeout just 7.2 batters per nine. He pitched like a fourth starter or so but the Angels paid him and gave up the qualifying offer pick to get a bit more out of him.

The best part of Syndergaard tenure was the trade the Angels made sending him to Philadelphia in the deal that got Mickey Moniak and Jadiel Sanchez to Anaheim. Not a horrible signing, especially because of the trade, but the Angels expected more.

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.