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Former Angels Outfielder Criticizes Rendon’s Work Ethic Amidst Contract Buyout
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- Former Angels Outfielder Criticizes Rendon’s Work Ethic Amidst Contract Buyout
(© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
The Los Angeles Angels finally did the right thing in buying out the contract of now-former third baseman Anthony Rendon , but former Angels outfielder Kevin Pillar reminded everyone just how bad Rendon's work ethic was in his podcast comments about the situation.
"I don't think people inside the clubhouse, the front office, and the ownership group believe Anthony Rendon put forth his best effort every single day," Pillar said in his shoot-from-the-hip podcast, Foul Territory, with his comments picked up by Vincent Page of Halos Hangout .
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His comments aren't exactly surprising based on some of what's come out about Rendon since he signed his massive deal with the Angels. Still, it was shocking to hear them so bluntly from someone who was a teammate of Rendon's in 2024, which was the last season during which the third baseman actually played.
Pillar also noted that Rendon was rarely around the time last year after he underwent hip surgery during spring training. This, too, aligns with reports that Rendon spent most of his time rehabbing at his home in Katy, Texas, and he wouldn't even come to Angels games when they played the Houston Astros , despite the fact that a half-hour drive would have done the trick.
Pillar went even further with his comments, though, suggesting that Rendon's absence may even have been good for development. This one is startling given the inside-baseball code that players rarely criticize each other to this degree.
"To not have to deal with him being in Spring Training, maybe influencing some of the younger players to not go hard in drills, not take ground balls, or learn from him in maybe a negative way," Pillar said.
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This raises the interesting question of whether rookie manager Kurt Suzuki requested the buyout as a stipulation that came with him taking the job. Suzuki is a popular ex-player who knows how clubhouse dynamics work, so it wouldn't exactly be surprising to learn that he made the request.
Regardless, the decision to buy out Rendon was a good one, provided of course that the Angels can negotiate final settlement numbers with Scott Boras, who is the third baseman's agent. Having Rendon out of the picture means the Angels will be looking for a third baseman, but it also means they won't have to deal with the headache of having a player around who once stated that baseball was "just a job" for him.
