Angels sign superstar third baseman Anthony Rendon

Who needs Gerrit Cole when you land a big fish like Anthony Rendon to play alongside Mike Trout? Angels owner Arte Moreno has some money burning a hole in his pocket after offering Gerrit Cole somewhere close to $300 million dollars. Somewhere in San Diego, general manager breathes a sigh of relief.

Rendon, 29, has played his entire career with the Washington Nationals. He was drafted sixth overall in the 2011 draft. His career slashline is .290/.369/.490/.859, but over the last three years, he has an OPS of .953. His elite bat and contact skills (strikeouts have been in the 80s the last three years), coupled with a solid glove, make him one of the best infielders in the league.

Had Rendon been on the Angels in 2019, he would have been 2nd in WAR, 2nd in OBP (.412), 2nd in OPS (1.010), and the best AVG (.319). That’s a pretty mighty and potent bat to add to the middle of the Angels lineup.

Dominos will fall in the aftermath of this trade since the Angels have a deep infield of Andrelton Simmons, David Fletcher, Luis Rengifo, and Tommy La Stella and have yet to really acquire any substantial arms.

There will be plenty of time to analyze the deal, but for now...the Angels just signed a marquee free agent in 2019. And we can take that to the bank.