The End Of An Expensive $245 Million Error: Angels In Talks To Buyout Anthony Rendon

Ah, the Anthony Rendon era in Anaheim. It feels like just yesterday the Angels were popping champagne, convinced they had landed the final piece of the puzzle. Fresh off a World Series win with the Nationals, Rendon was the guy. The Angels, never ones to shy away from a big check, handed him a seven-year, $245 million contract. It went wrong the moment the ink on the contract dried up.

Angels In Talks To Buy Rendon Out

Now, reports are swirling that the Angels are in talks to buy out the final agonizing year of that deal. It’s like a mercy rule for bad contracts. According to ESPN, the final act of this tragicomedy will likely see Rendon hang up his cleats and retire. He’ll walk away, and the Angels will get to… well, they’ll get to stop answering questions about when he’ll be back on the field. That’s something, right?

The Disappearing Act: Rendon’s Angels Career

To call the Rendon signing a bust is an insult to other busts. This was a deal that promised a co-star for Mike Trout. Over the life of his monstrous contract, he played in just a quarter of the team’s games. An astonishing 25%. You’d get a better attendance record from a college student during finals week.

His list of injuries is eye-opening as he dealt with injuries to his groin, knee, hamstring, shin, oblique, back, both wrists, and hips for good measure. The final nail in the coffin was a hip surgery announced before the 2025 season even began, wiping out his entire year. He spent the season rehabbing near his home in Houston, far from the perpetual disappointment brewing in Anaheim.

This wasn’t just bad luck; it was a black hole of payroll that sucked the life out of the roster. While Trout was dealing with his own injury woes, the combined salaries of the two hobbled superstars became an anchor, dragging the team down year after year.

It’s Just a Job, Man

What made the whole saga so maddening for fans was Rendon’s own nonchalance. He famously, and repeatedly, stated that baseball wasn’t his top priority. It was just a job. As he cashed massive checks from the injured list, his “it’s just a job” attitude felt less like a cool-headed approach and a tremendous distraction in that locker room.

You almost have to respect the honesty. He never pretended to be something he wasn’t. He was a guy who was exceptionally good at baseball, got paid an astronomical amount of money for it, and then, it seems, was perfectly content to let the clock run out.

What’s Next for the Angels?

So, what does this buyout mean for the perpetually rebuilding Angels? If the deal gets done, Rendon is expected to defer some of the $38 million he’s owed for 2026. This would give the Angels a bit more financial breathing room to address everything. With their sixth manager in eight years and a playoff drought old enough to be in middle school, they need all the help they can get.

At least they can finally, definitively, move on at third base. They can turn the page on one of the worst contracts in baseball history. It’s a painful, expensive lesson in the risks of free agency, but for the Angels and their long-suffering fans, the end of the Anthony Rendon experience can’t come soon enough. It’s quite a fall from grace for Rendon. But hey it was never about the glory anyway. It was just a job, and now, it seems, his work is done.