Ranking Rendon among MLB's worst current contracts

The Los Angeles Angels announced Wednesday that third baseman Anthony Rendon needs hip surgery and will be sidelined "long term." It's the latest twist in what's been a disastrous union between the Angels and Rendon, who has two years left on his $245-million contract.

Just how bad has Rendon been for the Halos? We broke it down by finding his place among the majors' 10 worst active contracts.

10: Mike Trout, Angels

Contract: 12 years, $426.5M
Years remaining: 6 years, $212.7M
fWAR during contract: 22.2

Trout's 10th because he won an MVP in the first year of this pact. If he's healthy, he's worth every penny of this deal. The problem is he can't stay healthy. Through the first half of this contract, Trout has managed to play 100 games in a season only twice and 130 games once (134 in 2019). Even if he gets healthy and asks for a trade out of Anaheim, the sheer size of his deal, combined with the injury risk, will make it difficult for the Angels to move him.

9: Andrew Benintendi, White Sox

Contract: 5 years, $75M
Years remaining: 3 years, $47.5M
fWAR during contract: Minus-0.7

The White Sox stunned pretty much everybody when they handed Benintendi the largest contract in franchise history, and it's gone about as poorly as everyone expected. Benintendi has just 25 homers since joining the White Sox and is tied with Keibert Ruiz for the second-worst fWAR in baseball over the last two seasons. Last year, he was arguably the worst player on the worst team in modern baseball history. And there's still three years to go!

8: Robbie Ray, Giants

Contract: 5 years, $115M
Years remaining: 2 years, $50M
fWAR during contract: 1.6

Ray signed his monster deal in Seattle after winning the 2021 AL Cy Young with the Blue Jays. In his first season, Ray morphed from a Cy Young-caliber pitcher to a decidedly average arm (100 ERA+) and allowed five runs in 3 2/3 postseason innings. Ray's made only eight starts since 2023 because of a significant arm injury. The only upside for Seattle is that they shed the contract by trading Ray to San Francisco last winter.

7: Jacob deGrom, Rangers

Contract: 5 years, $185M
Years remaining: 3 years, $115M
fWAR during contract: 1.9

DeGrom's track record on the mound speaks for itself, as does his track record at the doctor's office. The Rangers had to know what they were getting into when they signed deGrom to this hefty contract after he made just 26 starts - albeit 26 brilliant starts - across 2021 and '22 with the Mets. Six starts in, deGrom underwent Tommy John surgery and missed Texas' 2023 World Series run. At this point, anything the Rangers get out of him is probably a bonus. That's not what they paid for.

6: Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees

Contract: 13 years, $325M
Years remaining: 3 years, $86M (plus $25M club option or $10M buyout in 2028)
fWAR during contract: 20.8

Stanton signed the largest contract in MLB history at the time with the Marlins in 2015 and won the NL MVP in 2017 before being traded to the Yankees. It hasn't been all bad in New York - one All-Star berth and the 2024 ALCS MVP - but he hasn't come close to matching the expectations that come with this dollar figure. The injury-plagued slugger's averaging 102 games per season since signing the deal, but that dips to 95 contests a year when you isolate his time in New York. Stanton also ranks 56th in fWAR and 33rd in wRC+ during his span in the Bronx. He'll play out the contract strictly as a DH.

5: Xander Bogaerts, Padres

Contract: 11 years, $280M
Years remaining: 9 years, $225M
fWAR during contract: 6.6

Two seasons in, and this contract has quickly turned into a disaster for the Padres. Bogaerts' production has fallen off dramatically, with his .688 OPS in 2024 being his lowest since his 2014 rookie year. A move to second base because of defensive issues at shortstop didn't pan out, as a Ha-Seong Kim injury forced him to return to the position. The Padres are reportedly open to trading Bogaerts, perhaps by eating a large chunk of his contract - assuming he'd waive his no-trade clause, of course.

4: Javier Báez, Tigers

Contract: 6 years, $140M
Years remaining: 3 years, $73M
fWAR during contract: 2.1

Báez's star has dropped dramatically since joining the Tigers. At the plate, he's turned from RBI machine into Rey Ordóñez. His glove, once the best in the majors, has essentially disappeared, as Báez has posted negative defensive numbers in two of three seasons with Detroit. He's been benched for a lack of hustle and baserunning miscues, led the AL in errors in 2022 and '23, and played only 80 games last year because of hip surgery. Is it any coincidence that the Tigers' magical run to the 2024 playoffs began at almost the exact same time Báez suffered a season-ending injury?

3: Kris Bryant, Rockies

Contract: 7 years, $172M
Years remaining: 4 years, $104M
fWAR during contract: Minus-1.3

Bryant's played 159 games - the equivalent of one full season with a couple of days off - since signing his contract with the Rockies three years ago. He's played no more than 80 contests in a single season with Colorado, has hit only 17 homers with an 89 OPS+ over the life of the deal, and has been a near constant on the injured list with a litany of issues. If Bryant's going to contribute in the next few years, it'll almost surely be as a DH. But the bigger question is whether he'll even finish out this deal on the Rockies' roster.

2: Anthony Rendon, Angels

Contract: 7 years, $245M
Years remaining: 2 years, $76M
fWAR during contract: 3.8

In five years with the Angels, Rendon's hit only 22 homers and hasn't played more than 58 contests in a season. By the way, that high of 58 came during the 60-game 2020 campaign. Along the way, Rendon's been suspended for brawling while in a cast and for an altercation with a spectator. He also angered Angels fans by saying baseball "has never been a top priority for me" before adding that "it's hard to say" if he'll ever rediscover his All-Star form. And now comes Rendon's hip surgery just a few months after GM Perry Minasian said he'd have to "earn the right to play every day." This marriage has been nothing short of a disaster, but at least it's almost over.

1: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals

Contract: 7 years, $245M
Years remaining: 2 years, $70M (with deferrals)
fWAR during contract: 0.0

At least Rendon gave the Angels a top-10 MVP finish in 2020. Strasburg couldn't even do that after the Nats chose to retain him over Rendon on the same contract. The result was a disaster that Washington is still paying for. Strasburg, who finished fifth in Cy Young voting in 2019, made just eight starts over the life of the deal before retiring last April - but only after agreeing to a settlement with the Nats regarding the money owed to him. The club is still paying Strasburg over $32 million in each of the next two seasons, with portions deferred as per the settlement. Strasburg's deal remains the worst active contract since he's being paid not to pitch.