Angels GM Hints at Anthony Rendon Not Being on Halos Roster Next Year

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 3, 2024

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian was brutally honest about Anthony Rendon during his season-ending press conference.

Rendon has been nothing but a disappointment since signing his $245 million deal which only has two years remaining.

“When Anthony has played, he hasn’t been productive,” Minasian said. “So he’s gonna have to come in and earn it. There’s no handouts. We’re starting to create some depth, where we have some versatile players that can do some different things, so the best players are gonna play, no doubt about it.”

In other words, Rendon might lose his job soon.

It’s pretty clear that Perry Minasian has reached a breaking point with Anthony Rendon.

It’s not just what he said. It’s how it compares to things he has previously said.

Perry lowered the bar for his Rendon expectations last offseason, and Rendon STILL failed those this year. pic.twitter.com/jyngVI8Xzh

— BTH (@BeyondTheHalo) October 1, 2024

When directly questioned about the decision to retain a player with Rendon’s injury history and diminishing performance, Minasian responded:  “That’s a great question. We’re going to look at everything. We’re going to look at what makes the best sense for this organization.”

In addition to challenging the future of Rendon on the roster next season, Minasian also acknowledged Mike Trout's recent pattern of injuries. That might include a change of positions which could be a corner outfield spot and some games as the designated hitter.

“Something needs to change,” Minasian said. “Doing the same thing over and over hasn’t worked. So what exactly that plan is is yet to be determined. We’ll continue to talk about it.”

Outside of those two veterans, Minasian was optinistic while look ahead at the bigger picture.

“As far as the season goes, very frustrating from a small-picture standpoint,” Minasian said. “Big picture, there are a lot of things to be excited about. I believe this is the type of year that we’ll look back at a year from now, two years from now, and say that was huge.”

Minasian, who was awarded a two-year contract extension last month, noted that the emergence of regular players such as shortstop Zach Neto, catcher Logan O’Hoppe, and first baseman Nolan Schanuel, along with pitchers like José Soriano and Ben Joyce, has given the Angels a young core they previously lacked.

According to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, Minasian said the recent significant year-to-year jumps made by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals can be replicated by the Angels.

“For this organization to do that, we needed to have a young core to build around,” said Minasian, who just completed his fourth season as the GM. “And I believe in this young core. We finally have it. It’s really exciting to watch.”