At Last, the Rendon Era Is Over
December 31, 2025 - Written by Cruz Cambero
NEWS: Anthony Rendon and the Angels have agreed to a restructuring of his contract, a source tells @TheAthletic.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) December 30, 2025
He will not join the team in 2026. His tenure with the Angels is over.
Read: https://t.co/uhDraHCix0 pic.twitter.com/iQ0eH8Sup5
Anthony Rendon’s time with the Angels is finally over. After years of frustration, injuries, and unmet expectations, the team agreed to a buyout that will stretch through 2030. While the money does not disappear entirely, the structure of the deal provides the Angels with immediate relief. Rendon will not be paid during the 2026 and 2027 seasons, and the remaining 38 million dollars will be distributed over the three years that follow. What would have been an enormous burden in one season now becomes flexibility over several years.
When Rendon signed with the Angels in December 2019 for seven years and 245 million dollars, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Fans believed the organization had finally landed a complete player, a middle-of-the-order bat with elite defense and championship experience. Fresh off a World Series title with Washington, Rendon arrived as a proven winner who seemed capable of changing the direction of the franchise.
For a brief moment, that belief felt justified. In the shortened 2020 season, Rendon hit .286 and finished tenth in MVP voting. It appeared the Angels had finally avoided the mistakes of past splashy signings that failed to deliver. That season, however, would stand alone.
Over the next four years, Rendon never played more than 60 games in a season. Injuries became the norm, not the exception. Last year, he did not play at all. The player who once terrorized pitchers in Washington never resurfaced in Anaheim, and hope slowly turned into resentment.
What hurt fans most was not just the lack of production, but the attitude that followed. During Spring Training in 2024, Rendon publicly stated that baseball was never and would never be his top priority. While no reasonable fan expects baseball to come before faith or family, hearing a player with a massive contract speak so casually about the sport felt dismissive. For fans who invest their time, money, and loyalty into the team, it did not come across as balanced or perspective. It came across as indifference.
With Rendon gone, Angels fans are left reflecting on one of the most puzzling and disappointing tenures in franchise history. He arrived as a savior and leaves as a cautionary tale. Now the focus shifts to the future. The Angels have financial breathing room at last. Whether that money becomes a turning point or another mistake rests with Arte Moreno, whose track record with big-name contracts remains troubling. After Upton, Pujols, Cozart, Hamilton, and Rendon, fans are no longer asking for a star. They are asking for competence.
For a franchise defined by years of frustration, this does not feel like a celebration. It feels like closure.
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