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Anthony Rendon is off to an 0-15 start for the Los Angeles Angels. He is playing at a terrible level, and fans are noticing. Given what he said over the offseason, they're having a field day with his current form.
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Rendon said over the offseason:
"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."
That quote is aging rather poorly thanks to the depleted performance of Rendon this season. Fans have always taken opportunities to rail on the struggling player, and this time is no different.
Not everyone was all over the slugger, though. Some fans noted the small sample size or stated that considering his job a job, even if it is a game, isn't abnormal.
Why did the Angels pay Anthony Rendon so much money?
It's very easy now to look back and remark on what a disaster the signing of Anthony Rendon was. The slugger has been two things since coming over to Anaheim: awful and unreliable. He's hardly on the field due to injuries, and he's ineffective when he is.
However, the signing was not a bad idea at the time. The Angels desperately needed to pair a superstar with Mike Trout. They had brought in Shohei Ohtani, and the trio of those three were supposed to make the team great.
It didn't work out, but it was a worthy effort. At the time of being signed to that seven-year, $245 million contract, Rendon was coming off an MVP-level season with the Washington Nationals.
He recorded 6.8 fWAR and a 155 wRC+ to go along with a .319/.412/.598 slash line. He also hit 34 home runs and drove in 117 RBI. The following season, Rendon was good. It was a shortened season due to COVID-19, but he hit to the tune of a 152 wRC+ and put up 2.5 fWAR.
Things went downhill after that and injuries may have played a role, but Rendon was a great player at the time. It's the risk one takes when signing a player to a massive contract, and it didn't work out for the Angels.
