Los Angeles Angels and Anthony Rendon: Contract Termination Negotiations
The Los Angeles Angels and third baseman Anthony Rendon are in talks to terminate the final year of his contract, according to sources. This agreement, which could end a seven-year, $245 million contract, did not meet the team’s expectations. Rendon, who spent the entire 2025 season recovering from hip surgery, is expected to retire. The 35-year-old player has a salary of 38 million dollars in 2026. Although the contract termination has not yet been finalized, it is expected that Rendon will defer part of the money, which would give the team greater financial flexibility to address its needs in this offseason.
Description: Anthony Rendon is expected to retire if he and the Angels reach an agreement to terminate the final year of his seven-year, $245 million contract. Rendon has participated in only 205 of 810 games in the last five seasons due to injuries.
The Angels made Rendon the highest-paid third baseman in December 2019, after his outstanding performance with the Washington Nationals, World Series champions at the time. If the termination with Rendon’s agent, Scott Boras, is finalized, he will have played in only a quarter of the Angels’ games during the contract term, accumulating 3.7 wins above replacement (fWAR) according to FanGraphs. Selected in the first round of the 2011 draft from Rice University, Rendon established himself as one of the best all-around players, excelling in both batting and defense. Between 2016 and 2019, only nine position players accumulated more fWAR than him. In that four-year period, Rendon had a batting average of .299/.384/.528. In his last season with the Nationals, he finished third in the National League MVP voting, achieving an OPS of 1.010, 34 home runs, and leading the league with 126 RBIs, as well as being a key figure in the postseason that culminated in the franchise’s first title. Rendon’s lack of interest in baseball, which he publicly admitted was not his main priority, became part of his personality. Over time, this became a benchmark for his lack of productivity. In the 2020 season, which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rendon showed his best version. However, in the following four years, his performance dropped to .231/.329/.336, participating in 205 of 648 possible games. Injuries to the left groin, left knee, left thigh, left shin, left oblique, lower back, both wrists, and both hips led him to the injured list. The final blow came on February 12, 2025, when the Angels announced that Rendon would undergo hip surgery and miss the season. Rendon spent the season away from the team, mainly rehabilitating near his home in Houston. His last home run with the team was on July 1, 2023. He never played in more than 58 games in a season. Rendon’s contract coincided with a series of Mike Trout injuries. The absence of these two players, the team’s highest paid, along with the lack of depth in the squad, affected the Angels’ performance, despite the rise 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, has been named manager of the Angels, the sixth in eight years. Soon, at least, they will be able to advance to third base.
