Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon complained the Major League Baseball season is too long during an appearance on The Jack Vita Show, drawing the ire of several around baseball and renewing questions about the former All-Star’s commitment and work ethic. Rendon, who signed a seven-year contract worth $245 million with the Angels in 2019 after winning a World Series with the Washington Nationals, has not played more than 60 games in a season since his big payday.
When asked about one thing he would change about baseball, Rendon — prefacing his answer by saying he wanted it to be lighthearted — lamented the length of the 162-game season.
“We gotta shorten the season, man,” Rendon said. “There’s too many dang games — 162 games and 185 days or whatever it is. Man, no. We gotta shorten this bad boy up.”
While an argument can be made that the MLB season is too long, plenty felt that such a complaint was rich coming from Rendon. Much of Rendon’s time in Anaheim has been spent on the IL, with a report by The Athletic last August describing a lack of availability and communication among his issues.
Not only has Rendon’s attitude worn short on fans and observers, but it has also apparently worn short on teammates — Jonathan Papelbon, Rendon’s former teammate on the Nationals, openly called out his work ethic and claimed Rendon “hates baseball.”
Rendon played in just 43 games during the 2023 season, posting a .236 batting average while missing time both with injuries and due to a suspension for physically confronting a fan he accused of heckling him.
