Angels GM Blasts Anthony Rendon Heading Into 2025; Can't Guarantee Starting Job

There have been few worse contracts in Major League Baseball history than the one the Los Angeles Angels gave out to Anthony Rendon. 

Rendon signed with the Angels before the 2020 season, as a highly coveted free agent. He was coming off an outstanding 2019, where he hit .319/.412/.598 for the Washington Nationals. His excellent defense at third base, on base skills, and career high 34 home runs contributed to nearly seven wins above replacement. And a world championship for the Nats. The Angels gave him seven years and $245 million to form a devastating offensive trio with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

Just a few short years later, the Angels are coming off a 99-loss season, and not one of those three hitters took an at bat for the team after September 7. 

Rendon's decline, which has played a major role in the Angels' recent losing seasons, has been stunningly quick and comprehensive. After hitting 34 home runs in 2019, Rendon's hit a combined 22 in five seasons in Anaheim. Between 2023-2024, he hit just two total home runs in 100 games. After three consecutive years with a batting average over .300 in Washington, Rendon hasn't hit above .240 since 2020. 

Not to mention his very public comments about his disinterest in baseball. 

READ: Well-Paid MLBer Anthony Rendon Says Baseball Isn't 'Top Priority'

And it sounds like the organization has had enough.

OAKLAND - Anthony Rendon of the Los Angeles Angels hits a sacrifice fly that scored a run against the Oakland Athletics in the third inning at RingCentral Coliseum on April 01, 2023. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Angels Won't Guarantee Rendon A Starting Job

Appearing on the Foul Territory streaming show, Angels GM Perry Minasian said nothing is set in stone with Rendon moving forward. Per Minasian, he has to "show us he can still play and earn the right to play every day" before earning a starting job with the team.

Minasian also said that the team knows it "needs" a healthy, productive Rendon in order to be competitive. And that Rendon is "doing everything he can this offseason to come in ready to go." But the team needs to "see where he's at" before deciding on the best course of action. 

Rendon is still just 34-years-old; for perspective, World Series hero Freddie Freeman is 35. Yet he's been worth just 1.2 WAR to the Angels over the last four seasons combined. His highest games played total in that time frame is just 58. Given how poorly he's played, it's hard to project much success in 2025, even if he is healthy. It's a testament to how far he's fallen that someone making $35 million per year isn't guaranteed a starting job. But without question, it's the right baseball decision.