The Los Angeles Angels haven’t had a very good 2024. They’re sitting in last place in the AL West and flirting with the worst record in the entire major leagues. They lost Shohei Ohtani to the crosstown rival Los Angeles Dodgers in a record-setting deal. And their best players still on the team can’t seem to stay healthy.
Outfielder Mike Trout and third baseman Anthony Rendon have both missed significant time this year. Rendon has a high-grade partial tear of his left hamstring, and Trout opted to have surgery on his left knee. There’s no timetable for either of them to return.
It’s a trend that’s continued over the past four seasons. As of this writing, Trout and Rendon could have played in a potential 1,062 games with the Angels between the two of them. They’ve combined to appear in 433, or about 40.7% of possible games.
That wouldn’t be so bad if the two stars weren’t making a ton of money. Rendon is making north of $38.5 million, while Trout—who signed a record-setting deal of his own back in 2019—is earning $31.7 million.
Together, Rendon and Trout have made $283.53 million over the past four seasons. That means the Angels have spent about $71 million per season on two guys who have missed nearly 60% of the team’s games—and counting.
Trout’s 12-year deal is worth $426.5 million. At the time, it was the most guaranteed money for any athlete in North American sports. After this season, he’ll be halfway through the contract extension, which runs until Trout turns 38. He’s made the AL All-Star team the past three years, though his availability has been limited.
Meanwhile, the Angels signed Rendon to a massive free agent deal in 2019. He won a World Series with the Washington Nationals and then joined the Angels. He finished tenth in AL MVP voting in the Covid-shortened 2020 season but has had disappointing performances in the following years.
His power numbers are nowhere to be found, either. He had 34 home runs and 126 RBIs in his final season with the Nationals. Since joining the Angels, he’s hit 22 home runs and 114 RBIs total.
The team hoped the trio of Trout, Rendon, and Ohtani could end a long postseason drought, but the players could never be healthy together. Now, Ohtani is gone, and Trout and Rendon are back on the injured list.
