The Angels and third baseman Anthony Rendon are reportedly working toward an agreement that would end the oft-injured player’s time on the roster a season before the end of his $245 million contract.
The news was first reported by Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
Rendon has one season left on the seven-year deal, but he missed all of last season after undergoing hip surgery. Rendon has played just 256 games through the first six years of the deal.
The Angels had already clearly planned on moving forward without him. General Manager Perry Minasian said finding an everyday third baseman was one of his goals for the offseason, even though Rendon remained under contract.
Rendon is set to make $38 million in 2026. The Major League Baseball Players’ Association does not allow players to give back value, but Rendon could defer some of that money, which would free up salary space in the short-term for the Angels.
It would also open a spot on the 40-man roster over the winter. During the season, Rendon did not occupy a roster spot because he was on the 60-day injured list.
Rendon, 35, signed the deal with the Angels in December 2019. He performed well during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, finishing 10th in American League MVP voting, but since then he’s been plagued by injuries.
Rendon did not even appear in spring training this year before letting the team know that he needed hip surgery.
Although it has been apparent since then that the Angels weren’t likely to get any more out of Rendon, the belief around the team was that owner Arte Moreno would still be reluctant to simply release Rendon and pay him the rest of his contract. The thinking was that Moreno would want Rendon to at least show he was attempting to play in order to earn the rest of his money.
The Washington Nationals went through a similar ordeal with pitcher Stephen Strasburg. The two sides worked out a deal in 2024, ending the right-hander’s injury-plagued career with three seasons to go on the contract. Strasburg and Rendon are both represented by Scott Boras.
If Rendon has decided he’s ready to retire, it would represent a change. As recently as a month ago, Boras said Rendon was focused on trying to get back on the field.
“He’s working out with his physical therapist, playing catch, doing that kind of stuff,” Boras said before a World Series game at Dodger Stadium last month.
When asked if Rendon wants to keep playing, Boras said: “He has a contract to fulfill. No doubt about it.”
More to come on this story.