Anthony Rendon Injury: Expected to retire following buyout
The Angels and Rendon (hip) are in talks about buying out the final year of his seven-year, $245 million contract, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Rendon is expected to agree to defer at least some of the $38 million he is owed in 2026, and, once the buyout is finalized, the 35-year-old is expected to retire. It will spell the end of one of the worst free-agent contracts in baseball history, as Rendon has slashed .242/.348/.369 and never played more than 58 games during his five seasons with the Angels. He missed most of the 2025 campaign following left hip surgery. Even after the dreadful tenure with the Halos, Rendon will still finish with a career .280/.364/.464 batting line with 158 home runs over 12 major-league seasons. He made one All-Star team, finished in the top-10 in National League MVP voting four times and won a World Series in 2019 with the Nationals.