Angels and Rendon: Negotiations to Terminate Contract
The Los Angeles Angels and third baseman Anthony Rendon are in talks to terminate the final year of his contract, according to sources close to the team. This seven-year, $245 million deal did not meet expectations, and now both parties are seeking a solution.
Rendon, who spent the entire 2025 season recovering from hip surgery, is expected to retire. At 35 years old, he is still owed $38 million in 2026. Although a buyout agreement has not been finalized, it is anticipated that Rendon will defer part of that money, which would give the team greater financial flexibility for the upcoming offseason.Anthony Rendon podría retirarse si llega a un acuerdo con los Angels para rescindir su contrato.The Angels made Rendon the highest-paid third baseman in December 2019, following his outstanding performance with the Washington Nationals. If the termination is finalized, Rendon will have played in only a quarter of the Angels’ games during the contract term, with a cumulative 3.7 wins above replacement (fWAR).
Rendon, selected in the first round of the 2011 draft, established himself as one of the most complete players in baseball with the Nationals. Between 2016 and 2019, few position players surpassed his fWAR. In that period, he batted .299/.384/.528. In his last season with the Nationals, he finished third in the voting for the National League MVP, achieving an OPS of 1.010, 34 home runs, and 126 RBIs.
Rendon’s lack of interest in baseball, expressed publicly, became part of his personality. However, his productivity diminished over time.
In 2020, Rendon showed his best level, but it was the last time the Angels saw a version close to his best form. In the following four years, he batted .231/.329/.336, participating in 205 of 648 possible games. Injuries to his groin, knee, hamstrings, shin, oblique, lower back, wrists, and hips landed him on the injured list.
The final blow came on February 12, 2025, when the Angels announced that Rendon would undergo hip surgery, missing the entire season. His last home run with the team was on July 1, 2023, and he never played in more than 58 games in a season.
Rendon’s contract coincided with Mike Trout’s injuries. The absence of these two players, along with the lack of depth in the team, affected the Angels’ performance, despite the emergence of Shohei Ohtani.
The Angels haven’t reached the playoffs since 2014 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2009. The 2025 season marked their tenth consecutive season with a sub-.500 record. Kurt Suzuki, Rendon’s teammate on the 2019 Nationals, was named manager of the Angels, the sixth in eight years.
Soon, they will be able to advance to third base.
