Former Washington Nationals hero now signed to ugly long-term contract

With Patrick Corbin heading into free agency this offseason, the Washington Nationals no longer have a single player on their roster who was part of their 2019 World Series Championship team.

They are a cautionary tale of how quickly a team can go from mountaintop to basement draw. As of this season, they have accumulated 71 wins in a single season, which came in 2023 and 2024.

There are certainly better days ahead as a young core has emerged as the foundation of the franchise. With a few experienced additions, whether in free agency or via trade, they can start winning more games and move up the standings.

Of course, it’s easy to throw money at players hoping they’ll fix the problem. The challenge is to find out who really fits the game plan and can help develop the team.

There are so many cases in baseball where a free agent addition didn’t work out exactly how the franchise had hoped. One of the biggest accidents of late is a player leaving Washington for a big deal somewhere else.

Former third baseman Anthony Rendon was a star in the making. In the first seven seasons of his career, he made an All-Star team, finished in the top 11 in MVP voting five times and took home a Silver Slugger Award.

He was incredible in the postseason when they took home the title. After an 0-3 start in the Wild Card round, Rendon went 20-for-58 with 10 walks and just nine strikeouts for the remainder of the postseason.

The opposing pitchers simply couldn’t get him out as he ripped the cover off the ball. He hit seven doubles and three home runs while driving in 15 runs in 16 games.

That led to the Los Angeles Angels signing him to a huge seven-year, $245 million contract, which his play and future projections certainly justified. Unfortunately, he hasn’t come close to living up to those expectations and, in Cody Stavenhagen’s opinion, has the worst contract in baseball The athlete.

With two years left on the contract and $38 million per season, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer. That’s good because things aren’t going to get better as he was a negative WAR player in 2024 for the first time in his career.

With zero home runs in 206 at-bats, it’s hard to imagine ever turning things around. His contract comes in at number 1 because there is no player who has provided less to his team despite this price.

“Worse, Rendons not-so-subtle disinterest leaves almost no room for hope,” Stavehagen wrote. “Rendon will be paid well, and at some point the Angels will be able to end one of the worst contracts in MLB history.”

His future with the franchise could well be in question. General manager Perry Minasian has said the best players will take the field. Rendon must earn his spot or he will be released.

But as Stavenhagen noted, he may not care if it matters. Rendon is paid both ways and is considered one of the biggest busts in MLB free agency history.