MLB insider suggests a sad next step for directionless Angels

The first week of the season is a time for everyone to overreact. Whether a good team struggles out of the gate or a bad team gets off to a blazing-hot start, the beginning of any season is time for fans to overreact for good or bad reasons.

Sometimes the overreactions make sense while other times less so. In terms of the Los Angeles Angels, they've begun their season with a respectable 5-4 record entering play on Monday. While they might sit in sole possession of second place in the AL West right now, calling them the second-best team in that stacked division would be the overreaction of the century.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic ($) listed 10 early-season takes and stated whether they are indeed overreactions or if they're on point. His take about the Angels and Anthony Rendon is one he believes is on point.

MLB Insider suggests that the Angels should release Anthony Rendon

The Angels signed Rendon, arguably the best third baseman in the game at the time, to a seven-year deal worth $245 million following the 2019 campaign. That season saw Rendon finish as an NL MVP finalist and saw him lead the Nationals to a World Series title. He didn't win the World Series MVP award, but he was the best player on that team and had established himself as one of the premier players in the game.

That year earned him the mega-deal with the Angels. Since signing that deal, it's been a complete and utter disaster. Yes, he played well in the shortened 2020 season, but he only played in 52 games. From 2021-2023, he appeared in just 148 of their 486 games while posting a below-average 94 OPS+.

This season, hitting out of the leadoff spot, presented Rendon with yet another opportunity to both stay healthy and be productive for the first time in a full season while wearing an Angels uniform. He's stayed healthy so far, appearing in eight of their nine games, but Rendon has just three hits in 32 at-bats (.094 BA) with no home runs or RBI.

That slow start combined with everything that's happened in Rendon's tenure has caused Bowden to suggest that the Angels release the two-time Silver Slugger winner and call that take on point and not an overreaction.

It's hard to fault Bowden for making that kind of take. Rendon looks like a shell of the player he was when he plays, and he rarely sees the field. To make matters worse, he acts as if playing the game is the worst possible thing he could be doing with his time. Angels fans are fed up, and for good reason.

Releasing Rendon only to potentially watch him succeed elsewhere would sting, but it's clearly not working in Anaheim. Even with that being said, however, it feels highly unlikely that they'll cut bait with the 33-year-old while he is under contract through 2026. Perhaps if they had a succession plan they'd do it, but the Angels have one of the worst farm systems in MLB.

Regardless of what they do, the Angels come out of this situation as big losers. He isn't doing anything to help the team when he plays, and he rarely sees any action. If they release him he might perform with a change of scenery, and if they continue to play him he'll struggle and eventually get hurt. You never want to see players get hurt, which makes this situation even more unfortunate, but that's been a constant theme in Rendon's tenure.

At the very least, releasing Rendon can help the Angels get somewhat of a fresh start even if he flourishes elsewhere.