Does Anthony Rendon hate baseball? Former Red Sox star sure thinks so

On Sunday, Los Angeles Angels third baseman and slugger Anthony Rendon appeared on the Jack Vita Show and made a controversial statement.

Rendon claimed that the 162-game MLB season is too long.

"We got to shorten the season, man," said Rendon. "There's too many dang games-162 games and 185 days or whatever it is. Man, no. We got to shorten this bad boy up."

Granted, prior to his answer, Rendon did his best to make it clear he wanted to give a lighthearted answer. But his comments didn't ring well with others around the baseball world, especially former Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who was teammates with Rendon in 2015 and 2016 with the Washington Nationals.

On Twitter, Papelbon didn't hold back and dug into his former teammate, criticizing Rendon for his comments by correctly pointing out that a 162-game season is exactly what he signed up for.

But the former All-Star closer didn't stop there, even going as far as to say that if Rendon wants to complain, he should give back half of his salary.

Rendon initially made his statement on the Jack Vita Show.

Jonathan Papelbon digs into Anthony Rendon for controversial comments

Papelbon spent the vast majority of his career with the Red Sox before joining the Philadelphia Phillies and later being traded to the Nationals. And in his tweet, he echoed a sentiment from baseball insider Jared Carrabis about Rendon hating baseball.

It's clear that Papelbon doesn't think highly of Rendon and agrees with the sentiment that Rendon doesn't like baseball.

It's important to note that dating back to the 2021 season, Rendon has only appeared in a total of 148 games, which is obviously less than the full length of a typical baseball season. Meanwhile, the Angels embattled third baseman remains one of the highest-paid players in all of baseball.

Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million contract prior to the 2020 season. The deal included a $4 million signing bonus and an average annual value of $35 million. Yet the star third baseman has been limited due to injuries over the past several years.

Clearly, Rendon's comments have not aged well, as he has become the focal point of criticism around the baseball world. His disdain for a 162-game schedule ultimately won't serve him well.