Someone on social media came to the defense of Arte Moreno signing Rendon (and Pujols), and i wanted to know your thoughts. Here’s what they said:

Arte’s made bad signing decisions: Hamilton, Wells, even Gary Matthews Jr. if you want to go back. And those were obvious bad signings when they occurred- any knowledgeable fantasy baseball player could have told him these guys had inflated numbers with declining skill sets. At least he was willing to spend money to try and win, unlike certain other organizations.

Pujols was not a bad signing. He had 7 solid seasons for them until the wheels came off, which was expected from the jump. On the field it wasn’t worth the money paid. However, you need to think outside the box here. He was a solid clubhouse leader and a mentor to young Mike Trout. He gave the organization instant credibility or raised its profile and made it a destination. My friend who doesn’t watch baseball dropped 20 K on season tix the moment the news came out, and he’s not alone.

Moreover, acquiring Albert was critical in helping the team secure a nearly $2 billion dollar TV deal. Overall, the Angels came out way ahead. They don’t regret that at all.

Rendon- so, you want to put him in the bucket of clear bad choices that Arte made in the past. I want to know how you could have known that beforehand? He wasn’t a fading, aging player. He was entering his prime. Anthony was a top prospect who went on to have 5 really good seasons in Washington, and was regularly a top 30 fantasy hitter, a guy we targeted for 3B in our drafts. Rendon had just had his huge breakout season on the Nats and was the best player on a world championship squad. Oh, and he took bronze in the MVP race. LAA had just lost out on the Gerritt Cole sweepstakes and Rendon was a decent consolation, and third base had been a wasteland since Chone Figgins.

I call my shots in advance. I don’t play Monday morning quarterback, and I don’t remember a single person complaining about it when they landed him. Obviously it didn’t work out, but that was more bad result than bad process. He was supposed to be their second best hitter and protect Trout so he could feast. He was very solid in the Covid season, but since then it’s been downhill, and it can be entirely attributed to a slate of injuries, a combination of bad luck and his body breaking down. If your body won’t let you play then what are you supposed to do?

But I want to know how you think this outcome should have been known, when he wasn’t a chronically injured player before he arrived? Until you can answer that my work is done here.