$245m Flop Retires, Worst Contract in MLB History Ends

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00:00$245 million flop retires. Worst contract in MLB history ends.

00:06When Anthony Rendon signed his $245 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels in December 2019,

00:13the team believed it was landing an elite third baseman coming off a championship season with the Washington Nationals.

00:19Just months earlier, he'd delivered a career year, 34 home runs, 126 RBIs, a 1.010 OPS,

00:27and helped secure the franchise's first World Series title.

00:31Eager to add a superstar alongside Mike Trout, the Angels made Rendon the highest-paid third baseman in baseball.

00:38But almost immediately, the deal fell apart, and by the time Rendon quietly drifted toward retirement,

00:44the $245 million contract had become an all-time albatross.

00:48According to ESPN, he will reportedly be released and is expected to retire,

00:53even with $38 million still owed in 2026.

00:57A buyout, likely with deferred payments, is anticipated but not yet finalized.

01:03The numbers underscore the collapse.

01:05Over seven years, Rendon played just a little more than 200 of more than 800 possible games.

01:12After a solid 2020 in the shortened season, the following four years were defined by non-stop injuries,

01:17groin, hamstring, hip, wrist, and back, turning his body into a running list of setbacks.

01:23He then missed the entire 2025 season after hip surgery, spending much of his recovery quietly at home in Houston.

01:30His last home run was on July 1st, 2023.

01:35He never played more than 58 games in a single season as an Angel,

01:39and between 2021 and 2024 logged just 205 of 648 games with a 231, 329, 336 slash line.

01:50Even more damaging than his injury record, however, was his attitude.

01:54Rendon admitted his interest in baseball was limited.

01:58He dismissed accolades, shunned attention, and confessed he viewed the game as just a job.

02:03For a player earning nearly $35 million a year, the comments stung and fueled resentment.

02:09As news of his release spread, Van's reaction was swift and cutting.

02:14Social media lit up with condemnation and mockery.

02:17Worst contract in the history of the MLB, one user wrote.

02:21Another called it an all-time heist.

02:24The sentiment was consistent.

02:25The Angels invested hundreds of millions in a player who never truly seemed invested himself.

02:31In the end, he may be remembered less for what he accomplished than for what he failed to become.

02:36A cautionary tale and a high-priced gamble that never paid off.