Angels Restructure Anthony Rendon Deal, Deferring $38 Million as Injured Third Baseman Set to Miss 2026

Anthony Rendon is expected to spend the 2026 season at home in Houston, recovering from hip surgery and away from the daily rhythm of the major leagues. The Los Angeles Angels, meanwhile, will keep paying him for years.

The Angels and their 35-year-old third baseman have agreed to restructure the final season of Rendon’s seven-year, $245 million contract, deferring roughly $38 million that had been due in 2026 and spreading the payments over multiple future years, people familiar with the agreement said this week.

Rendon is not expected to play in 2026 but will technically remain under contract. He can be placed on the 60-day injured list before Opening Day, which would open a spot on the team’s 40-man roster while his salary becomes part of a growing wave of deferred money commitments across Major League Baseball.

The arrangement effectively winds down one of the sport’s most scrutinized free-agent deals while giving the Angels additional short-term payroll flexibility as they attempt to reshape a roster that has not reached the postseason since 2014.

Contract reworked, tenure effectively over

Rendon signed with Los Angeles in December 2019 after a standout run with the Washington Nationals, including a 2019 season in which he hit .319 with 34 home runs, led the National League with 126 RBIs and helped deliver the franchise’s first World Series title.

The Angels committed seven years and $245 million, a contract that carried an average annual value of $35 million for competitive balance tax purposes and was scheduled to pay Rendon about $38 million in 2026, the final year of the deal.

Under the new structure, that 2026 sum will be deferred and paid out over several years, according to multiple reports. The team has not disclosed the exact year-by-year schedule, and there has been no indication that Rendon agreed to a reduction in total guaranteed money.

A person with knowledge of the agreement said Rendon will “not play in 2026” but is not formally retiring. He will remain on the Angels’ roster and is expected to be transferred to the 60-day injured list once the club needs the roster spot.

The reworking required approval from Rendon, his agent Scott Boras, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association because of rules governing deferred compensation and the competitive balance tax.

From centerpiece signing to limited availability

Rendon arrived in Anaheim as a middle-of-the-order cornerstone expected to complement Mike Trout and, as it turned out, Shohei Ohtani. Instead, his time with the Angels was defined by injuries and long absences.

In six seasons with Los Angeles from 2020 through 2025, Rendon appeared in 257 games — roughly one in four of the club’s contests over that span. He hit about .242 with 22 home runs and 125 RBIs, well below his production in Washington, where he batted .290 with 136 home runs and 546 RBIs in 916 games.

A series of injuries limited him almost every year. Since 2021, Rendon has dealt with groin, knee, hamstring and hip issues, a season-ending wrist surgery, a fractured leg and recurring lower-body problems. He played 58 games in 2021, 47 in 2022, 43 in 2023 and 57 in 2024, then missed all of 2025 after undergoing hip surgery in February.

The accumulation of missed time contributed to the deal being widely cited by analysts as one of the least productive large free-agent contracts in recent memory.

Public comments sharpened scrutiny

Rendon’s availability was not the only factor shaping perceptions of his tenure.

During spring training in 2024, he drew attention for candid comments about his relationship with baseball. Speaking with reporters in Tempe, Arizona, Rendon said the sport had “never been a top priority” in his life.

“This is a job. I do this to make a living,” he said. “My faith, my family come first before this job. So if those things come before it, I’ll move on.”

Pressed on whether baseball was still important to him, Rendon added, “Oh, it’s a priority for sure, because it’s my job. I’m here, aren’t I?”

The remarks sparked debate among fans and commentators, in part because they came from a highly paid player who had struggled to stay on the field. They also offered a rare window into how a veteran star viewed his career as injuries mounted.

Deferrals as a modern management tool

Rendon’s restructured deal reflects a broader shift in how teams handle both megacontracts and sunk costs.

Under MLB’s competitive balance tax rules, a player’s “tax hit” to a club is based on the average annual value of the contract. When money is deferred beyond the term of the deal, the league calculates the contract’s value based on the present value of the payments, which can lower the figure used for tax purposes.

That mechanism came into sharp focus last winter when Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that agreement, $680 million is deferred, significantly reducing the present-value total and the Dodgers’ annual tax charge, while Ohtani still receives the full nominal amount over a longer period.

Earlier examples include Max Scherzer’s seven-year, $210 million contract with the Nationals, which featured substantial deferrals, and former Mets outfielder Bobby Bonilla’s famous buyout that turned a $5.9 million obligation into annual payments extending into the 2030s.

Rendon’s deferral is smaller in scale but fits the same pattern: a large 2026 cash obligation converted into a series of smaller payments that will stretch years beyond his last game for the Angels.

Angels seek flexibility amid long rebuild

General manager Perry Minasian had signaled at the winter meetings that the club was exploring ways to gain short-term financial flexibility, including potentially deferring the final year of Rendon’s contract, if the player and union agreed.

The Angels entered the 2025-26 offseason after another losing year, extending a playoff drought that dates to 2014. They lost Ohtani to free agency after the 2023 season, Trout has missed significant time with injuries, and high-dollar commitments to veterans such as Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Rendon have limited payroll maneuverability at various points over the last decade.

This winter, the club has focused on acquiring players with past success but recent struggles or injury histories, a group that includes right-hander Alek Manoah on a one-year deal, relievers Drew Pomeranz, Jordan Romano and Kirby Yates, and right-hander Grayson Rodriguez in a trade. The Angels also added infielder Vaughn Grissom.

“Have we done a lot of things that have an element of risk to them this offseason? Yes,” Minasian said in a recent interview. “With that being said, we believe there’s a major reward on a lot of these guys. They’ve done it in the past, and they’re motivated to do it again.”

With Rendon no longer projected to occupy third base, the position becomes an immediate need. The Angels are also looking for another starting pitcher, additional bullpen help and a center fielder.

Team officials have indicated that the club’s projected payroll for 2026 sits well below last season’s level, suggesting room for at least one significant addition. How much of that flexibility stems directly from Rendon’s deferral is not yet clear, because the precise present-value calculations and tax implications have not been made public.

A long tail to a short tenure

For Rendon, the restructuring extends his financial connection to the Angels even as his on-field role effectively ends. He will continue to rehab from hip surgery near his home in Texas while the team in Anaheim attempts to reset around new pitchers and a looming vacancy at third base.

For the club, the move marks a quiet administrative conclusion to a marquee signing that never delivered the expected production, even as its financial effects will be felt for years.

The Angels will not see Rendon in their lineup in 2026. They will, however, continue to see his name on their financial ledgers, a reminder of both the risks of long-term guarantees and the growing reliance on deferred money as teams try to manage those risks without simply walking away.