Some teams have created holes when a star player left in free agency. Others have holes from not signing a free agent they were after. But for some teams, like the Angels, one of the biggest holes is simply from a player not living up to expectations.
Yeah, we’re talking about Anthony Rendon. Rendon had an excellent season in 2020, his first year with the Halos, when he posted a .915 OPS and finished 10th in the MVP voting. In the two years since, though, he’s batted .235 with a .709 OPS, playing in just 105 games in the two seasons combined.
MLB.com posted an article about a handful of players who need to “step up” in 2023, and unsurprisingly, Rendon is on the list.
The Angels improved their depth with the additions of Tyler Anderson, Hunter Renfroe, Gio Urshela and Carlos Estévez, but as currently constructed, they look like the fourth-best team in the AL West. To make the most of Mike Trout’s age-31 season and what could be Shohei Ohtani’s final year with the club, the Angels need Rendon to be the player they thought they were getting when they signed him to a seven-year, $245 million deal after 2019. Through the first three years of that deal, Rendon has provided the Halos with 20 homers, a .779 OPS and 3.3 bWAR in 157 games.
There’s no question that Rendon has been disappointing so far since coming to the Angels. If they’re going to have a chance to capitalize on Shohei Ohtani’s last year under contract, they need vintage Rendon to show up in 2023.
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