Angels insider’s scathing review of Anthony Rendon, third base issues hits fans hard

To the surprise of no one, the Los Angeles Angels giving Anthony Rendon a massive contract continues to age exceedingly poorly. The guy cannot stay healthy for any appreciable length of time, and when he is healthy he doesn't produce. In the 15 games he has played in since returning from the injured list after dealing with a back issue, Rendon is slashing .234/.383/.277 and he hasn't homered since July 2023. $38 million a year just doesn't get you what it used to.

Unfortunately, Rendon's absences from the Angels (literal and figurative) have had more consequences than just tears dropping on the Angels' checkbook. LA signed Rendon to be their stalwart third baseman and paid him as such. Their reward? 1,059 exceedingly mediocre-to-bad plate appearances since 2020. For those that don't want to do the math, that is bad.

It has also meant that the Angels have had to shuffle a lot of players in and out to cover for Rendon. In fact, LA leads all of baseball with 28 different players (including Rendon) having played third base since the start of 2020. Thankfully, The Athletic's Angels insider Sam Blum took the time to rank the non-Rendon Angels third basemen while absolutely cooking Rendon and the decision to sign him in the process.

Angels experts agree that third base is going to be a problem as long as Rendon is on the roster

We don't want to spoil Blum's piece too much, as the rankings are shocking in terms of who has actually done a decent job, who floundered, and who you might've even forgotten played for the Angels or played baseball in general (we dare you to name all 27 without looking it up).

What The Athletic's piece did do is highlight what Rendon and his contract have cost the Angels the last few years. Instead of getting the guy that averaged a .953 OPS his last three years with the Nationals, they have instead been throwing tens of millions of dollars in the garbage. That's essentially cost the Angels postseason appearances and the goodwill of fans. It is also hard not to wonder if Shohei Ohtani would have stayed in an Angels uniform if Rendon's contract was out the equation.

Instead, Angels fans have been left with a walking meme in Rendon. His contract is a punchline, his stints on the injured list are baked in to every season, and even other players around the league think he is a waste of money. Unfortunately for the Angels, it also means that their situation at third base is going to remain unsettled unless a miracle happens and Rendon finds a way to contribute (or the team decides to cut its losses with him and actually start planning for the future at the position).

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