In a significant move at the close of 2025, the Los Angeles Angels and Anthony Rendon reached an agreement to modify the terms of the final year of his seven-year, $245 million deal. Although Rendon remains entitled to the full $38 million originally due in 2026, these payments will now be distributed over a span of three to five years. This decision marks the conclusion of his stint with the Angels and likely his career in Major League Baseball.

This situation is reminiscent of several challenging contracts the Angels have navigated over the years. The team’s last postseason appearance was in 2014, despite offering substantial contracts to five players over the past fifteen years. These agreements totaled $1.156 billion, yet these players missed nearly half of the games they could have played. Collectively, Rendon, Mike Trout, Justin Upton, Josh Hamilton, and Albert Pujols participated in just 2,627 out of a potential 5,100 games, representing only 51.5% of the games.

Let’s take a closer look at the players the Angels have heavily invested in and evaluate the outcomes of these investments.

Albert Pujols (5), Anthony Rendon (6), and Justin Upton (10) all signed large contracts with the Angels. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Albert Pujols, $254 million

Albert Pujols, celebrated for his legendary tenure in St. Louis, opted to join the Angels after reportedly receiving a shorter offer from the Cardinals. His contract with the Angels was a ten-year, $254 million agreement. Before signing with the Angels, Pujols had already secured three MVP awards and nine All-Star selections. During his decade with the Angels, however, he was named an All-Star just once. Despite this, Pujols was the most available player among those mentioned, participating in 78% of the 1,518 possible games.

He began his tenure with the Angels at the age of 32, and his performance waned as he aged into his late 30s. Midway through the 2021 season, the Angels released him, and he returned to the Cardinals, where he earned another All-Star nod, largely fueled by fans’ nostalgia for his illustrious career. In a positive turn, Pujols has reconnected with the Angels following his retirement, accepting a 10-year contract in 2023 to serve as a special assistant to the team.

Anthony Rendon, $245 million

Anthony Rendon arguably had the worst contract in MLB history. He signed his seven-year deal shortly after winning a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. He had just posted career-highs in home runs and RBIs, and even led the league in the latter category. But his tenure with the Angels couldn’t attain those same levels of success.

He had a solid 2020 during the COVID-19-shortened season before injuries derailed the rest of the decade. His numbers on the field dropped; his batting splits fell and he had fewer home runs and RBIs during his entire stint with the Angels than he did during his final season in Washington. Rendon also had two separate suspensions, including one that he received for participating in a brawl while he was already injured. He’ll ultimately only appear in 25% of his team’s games, including missing the entirety of both the 2025 and 2026 seasons—and the Angels will pay him his entire contract anyway.

Josh Hamilton, $125 million

Back in 2013, the Angels offered outfielder Josh Hamilton a five-year contract worth $125 million. He was coming off five straight All-Star appearances and had won MVP in 2010. He also reached the World Series with the Texas Rangers in back-to-back years in 2010 and 2011. His first season with the Angels went well enough: He hit .250 with 21 home runs and 79 RBIs across 151 games. A dip in power, to be sure, but he was consistently on the field for the team.

The following year, Hamilton only played in 89 games as he suffered injuries to his thumb and shoulder and needed time off to recover. The Angels made the playoffs in 2014, but Hamilton didn’t record a single hit in the ALDS, going 0-for-13 in the series. In February 2015, Hamilton had surgery on his separated shoulder. Soon after, reports came out that he had relapsed into his drug addiction, which had hampered him earlier in his career. Angels owner Arte Moreno said he didn’t want Hamilton returning to the team and traded him back to the Rangers. However, the Angels still owed Hamilton the majority of his contract. He ultimately wound up playing in 240 out of a possible 343 games while he was still on the Angels roster, or 240 out of a possible 810 games that the Angels thought they were signing him for.

Justin Upton, $106 million

In August 2017, the Angels received Justin Upton in a trade with the Detroit Tigers. He finished the season in Los Angeles, and that November, the Angels signed him to a five-year, $106 million extension. During his first full season on the roster, Upton played well. He posted splits of .257/.344/.463 while hitting 30 home runs and knocking in 85 RBIs.

But after that first year, things started unraveling. Hmm…we’re sensing a theme here. He suffered a handful of injuries, including turf toe, patellar tendinitis, and multiple lower back issues. The Angels designated Upton for assignment on April 2, 2022, and he never played the final season of his deal. He finished his Angels career with a .232 batting average, 75 home runs, and 203 RBIs, playing in 366 out of a possible 708 games (52%).

Mike Trout, $426 million

How this one shakes out is still to be determined, though the Angels have played 1,032 games since Mike Trout began what was then the largest contract in MLB history. Trout has only played in 583, or about 56% of them. He’s been fairly productive while on the field, winning MVP in 2019 and being named an All-Star in four out of five seasons (and the time he didn’t make it was in 2020, when there wasn’t an All-Star Game).

However, the past two seasons have seen Trout post his worst batting numbers since he was called up to the majors midway through the 2011 season. 2024 could have been chalked up to injury, but Trout played in 130 games this past season. The Angels are hoping he can get back to his All-Star-level performance in the coming year. After all, they’ve invested a ton of money into their big stars.