After missing all of 2025 rehabbing from hip surgery, Anthony Rendon and the Angels are negotiating a buyout of the final year of his $245 M contract as the 35-year-old reportedly prepares to retire.
The Los Angeles Angels are reportedly in discussions with Anthony Rendon over a possible buyout of the final year on his seven-year, US$245 million contract. The 35-year-old third baseman, who missed the entire 2025 season after left-hip surgery, is widely expected to retire.
The Angels and Anthony Rendon are in talks to buy out the final year of his contract, per @Alden_Gonzalez
The expectation is that he will retire pic.twitter.com/KEI66E1xUc
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) November 26, 2025
The remaining commitment under the deal, about US$38 million for 2026, would make the buyout, if finalized, a significant financial reset for the Angels. The move would free the roster spot and provide payroll flexibility as the club re-evaluates its core after years of falling well short of expectations.
A contract that never lived up to its promise
When the Angels signed Rendon ahead of the 2020 season, expectations were high. He was coming off a 2019 campaign where he had shown all-star potential, and the Angels hoped he’d anchor their infield alongside existing stars.
Instead, injuries and inconsistent performance derailed that vision. Outside his first season in Anaheim, Rendon failed to suit up for more than 58 games in any year.
Anthony Rendon’s career will always be a fascinating one to me. Dude was NICE and then just went ghost after an injury. Seems like it kept snowballing. I suspect we will hear the full story one day https://t.co/7JpcKogBSL pic.twitter.com/O1Q7VrUKNZ
— Evan (@OhChev) November 26, 2025
He posted a modest .242/.348/.369 slash line with 22 home runs and 125 RBIs during his time with the club.
Long before the most recent hip surgery, many analysts and fans had labeled the deal one of the worst in recent MLB history — a contract that burdened the organization without delivering sustained value.
What a buyout means and what comes next for the Angels
If the buyout is completed, the Angels will clear a significant financial albatross and regain roster flexibility ahead of the 2026 offseason. That could allow them to redirect resources toward younger players, rebuild around core talent, or pursue trades and free agents with less dead money on the books.
For Rendon, retirement would mark a muted end to a once-promising career. After a brief stretch of relevance, the final years came with more rehab assignments and roster uncertainty than regular starts, a sharp contrast to the expectations set when he signed in Anaheim.
Anthony Rendon during his entire 7 year, $245 million contract with the Angels:
257 games played out of 1,032 possible
224 hits
22 HR
125 RBI
10 SB
3.8 War pic.twitter.com/r1wPrebtnh— AT (@YankeeWRLD) November 26, 2025
As the winter unfolds, baseball observers will be watching closely: this potential parting could represent more than just a contract resolution.
It might signal a shift in organizational philosophy for a franchise repeatedly criticized for aggressive free-agent spending and questionable long-term commitments.
