Bleacher Report's nightmare contracts paint ugly picture for the Angels

When thinking about bad contracts the Los Angeles Angels have signed in recent years, Anthony Rendon's is the one that comes to mind first. Rendon signed a seven-year deal worth a whopping $245 million after being arguably the best player on the Nationals' World Series-winning 2019 team.

Rendon gave the Angels a solid year in the shortened 2020 season but has been a disaster in the three years since, barely playing and seeing his production dip in games he does appear in. While the Rendon contract is obviously horrific, thankfully, there are only three more years on it. Rendon's contract is up after the 2026 season.

While there appears to be some light at the end of Anthony Rendon's tunnel, the Angels have another horrific contract on their hands, and that one comes at the expense of their franchise player, Mike Trout.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report predicted MLB's 10 biggest nightmare contracts by 2026. While Mike Trout is not the biggest nightmare on their list, he comes in at number five. That's an issue for the Angels.

Mike Trout contract could become a nightmare for the Angels if it hasn't already

Extending Mike Trout on the 12-year $426.5 million deal was and still is a no-brainer for an Angels team that simply had to keep Trout around. It was an overpay at the time, but one that Trout had earned due to him being far and away the best player on the planet. Unfortunately, since signing the extension, Trout has had a rough time simply playing games. As he continues to get older, that issue can only become worse.

Trout has played in just 48.7% of the Angels' games in the last three seasons after appearing in only 82 this past season. To make matters worse, while he was still elite, Trout's production took a bit of a hit in 2023 as he posted an .858 OPS, his lowest mark by far since he got his first taste in the majors back in 2011.

Trout is set to make $35.4 million annually through the 2030 season. From 2026-2030 he'll have $177.25 million coming his way. That's an astronomical amount of money to be paying a player who will be 34 years old on this day in 2026. This contract is why trading Trout isn't such a bad idea, but it's also a reason why the Angels wouldn't get anything close to what they might expect if they ever put him on the block.