Perry Minasian may be the last person left that thinks Anthony Rendon likes baseball

A lot has been made about Anthony Rendon and his time with the Los Angeles Angels, especially recently. When the Angels signed Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million deal, they thought they were getting one of the best players in baseball. Instead, what they have gotten is an very often-injured guy who wants to be paid like one of the best players in baseball while talking as though he wishes he were doing anything else.

In fairness to this particular situation, it isn't like a lot players wouldn't agree with Rendon that their families and faith are their top priorities, but most of those guys actually, you know, try their hardest and actually play baseball games, completing their job obligations as well. Put another way, good financial advice hits a lot different when it comes out of a guy like Bernie Madoff's mouth, and health and wellness wisdom doesn't exactly inspire confidence from the mouth of Homer Simpson.

Rendon has only himself to blame for how his comments have been taken. He has taken being surly with the media to a whole new level during his four plus years with the Angels. While Marshawn Lynch famously disdained talking to the media during his career in the NFL, Lynch showed up to play every week and no one questioned his commitment to his team. Rendon treats everyone like they are an idiot for asking about his progress when he has played a grand total of 200 games in four seasons, along with just 22 homers to his name with the Angels.

It was still curious that Angels GM Perry Minasian seemingly rose to Rendon's defense recently when asked about the "third baseman's" comments. However, one has to understand the position Minasian and the Angels are in to understand why he did so.

Perry Minasian basically has no choice but to hope LA Angels' Anthony Rendon turns things around

Minasian volunteered that he still thinks Rendon does have passion for the game of baseball. Sure, there is scant evidence to support that hypothesis whatsoever, but he did point out that he has remained with the team during his rehab and supported teammates where he can. $245 million is a lot to pay for a part-time coach and cheerleader, but it isn't nothing that Rendon has stuck around.

The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle of all of this. Rendon probably does want to contribute on the field and earn his money instead of being the league's punching bag, but he also probably doesn't love some aspects of being a professional baseball player, like the travel and (especially) talking with the media. His message isn't that crazy in a vacuum, but his tone deaf way of communicating and timing it could have been orders of magnitude better.

For Minasian, though, dealing with Rendon has to be tough. If he called Rendon's comment unacceptable, Rendon might just never do anything of substance again and rake in his $38 million a year for the next three years before calling it quits, providing very little of value along the way. Minasian's only real choice is to try and support Rendon in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, he can get healthy and give the Angels something going forward to take the sting out of what is currently one of the worst contracts in baseball.

Will that happen? The Angels better hope so, because Rendon's contract is an albatross around the team's neck right now. If Rendon can't figure out how to actually, you know, do his job without pissing fans off constantly, he could end up being a costly distraction to the team as well, even if he isn't saying anything.

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