In December 2019, the Los Angeles Angels handed Anthony Rendon the largest contract ever given to a third baseman in MLB history: seven years, $245 million. What followed was one of the most painful slow-motion collapses a franchise has ever had to watch — and pay for.
Between 2020 and 2024, Rendon appeared in just 257 of a possible 810 games — 29.5% of the time. He landed on the injured list 12 times from 2021 onward, never played an inning in 2025 after a second hip surgery, and the Angels are still on the hook for $38 million to be paid in installments through 2030. He never officially retired — technically he’s still on the roster while the details get sorted — but multiple sources told ESPN his MLB career is over.
The Player the Angels Thought They Were Getting
To understand how badly this stings, you have to remember who Rendon was before he ever put on an Angels uniform. In seven seasons with the Washington Nationals, he was one of the best third basemen in the game: a .290/.369/.490 slash line, 136 home runs, 546 RBI, and 34.2 WAR — meaning he was worth more than 34 wins above a replacement-level player over that stretch.
His 2019 was the season that made GMs reach for their checkbooks without blinking: .319 average, 34 home runs, 126 RBI, and a World Series ring. The Angels wanted him as the third pillar alongside Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. On paper, it was the most talent-loaded roster in the American League. On paper.
Season by Season: The Inventory of a Broken Investment
The numbers tell the story plainly:
- 2020: 52 games — the only relatively functional season, in a shortened COVID year
- 2021: 58 games — right hip surgery
- 2022: 47 games — right wrist surgery
- 2023: 43 games — fractured tibia
- 2024: 57 games — hamstring, lower back, and oblique stints on the IL; batted .218 with zero home runs and 14 RBI
- 2025: zero innings — second hip surgery, full season lost
From 2021 through 2024, Rendon averaged 41 games per season. His full Angels line: .242/.348/.369, 22 home runs, 125 RBI, and 3.9 WAR — less than four wins over six years, against more than $200 million already out the door in Anaheim.
For context: he produced 34.2 WAR in Washington. With the Angels, he produced 3.9.
More Than $953,000 Per Game Played
Divide the contract value by the games Rendon actually suited up for, and the Angels paid more than $953,000 per appearance. That’s the kind of math you don’t run out loud in front of ownership.
And the damage doesn’t stop at the direct cost. In 2026, with Rendon not playing, his deal still counts $33.9 million against the team’s luxury tax threshold — money that directly limits what the Angels can spend to actually improve their roster while he recovers at home.
Los Angeles hasn’t reached the postseason since 2014. The 2025 season marked their tenth consecutive year finishing below .500. Rendon’s contract isn’t the only reason — there are years of roster-building decisions piled on top — but it is the most expensive and most visible symbol of that lost decade.
Is This the Worst Contract in MLB History?
There’s a real debate to be had. Kris Bryant’s deal with the Rockies (7 years, $182M, negative WAR since 2022) makes a strong case, and Stephen Strasburg’s contract with Washington is always in that conversation too. But what’s beyond dispute is that very few contracts in recent memory delivered so little in return for so much: 3.9 WAR, $245 million spent, and deferred payments running through 2030.
