When you look for some of the worst contracts in MLB, it’s difficult to find anything that tops what the Angels handed Anthony Rendon in 2020. In an effort to build around Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, the Angels signed Rendon to a seven-year deal worth $245 million. Since then, Rendon has yet to play 60 games in a single season and rarely made an impact when he did play.
And his comments at Monday’s spring training camp can’t make the Angels feel any better about the disastrous contract.
Speaking to reporters, Rendon was asked about how he considered retirement last year. And that was when he said that his priorities had changed. When asked in a follow-up question where baseball fell in that list of priorities, Rendon admitted that baseball had never been a top priority for him.
Anthony Rendon on playing pro baseball:
"It’s never been a top priority for me. This is a job. I do this to make a living. My faith, my family come first before this job. So if those things come before it, I’m leaving."
Here's the full exchange: pic.twitter.com/xtgaywzNx9
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) February 19, 2024
While it’s totally fine to prioritize family over a job, it’s not a good look for a player making $38 million to broadcast that his job isn’t among his top priorities. When you take into account Rendon’s lack of availability during his time with the Angels, his 2024 spring camp couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start.
MLB fans weren’t thrilled with Rendon’s answer as well.