Angels Reportedly Pursuing Josh Donaldson Along With Anthony Rendon

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim haven't won more than 85 games since the 2015 MLB season. They have the best player in baseball in Mike Trout (who hasn't been lower than fourth in MVP voting since the 2012 season) under contract until the year 2031, and yet cannot seem to perform like a contender.

In order to succeed and make a deep playoff run, the Angels are scouting for the best third-base talent on the market, and this has linked them to stars Josh Donaldson and Anthony Rendon.

Anthony Rendon isn’t the only free-agent third baseman the #Angels are considering. They’ve also checked in on Josh Donaldson, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 10, 2019

Donaldson is a productive player, and averaged 33 HR, 98 RBI and a .298 BA from 2013-2017, winning the MVP award in 2015. While he was injured in 2018, he had a bounce-back year in 2019, hitting 37 HR and knocking in 94 RBI, and his performance has drawn many suiters.

Rendon, meanwhile, is coming off a spectacular season for the champion Washington Nationals, batting .319 while smashing 34 HRs and batting in an MLB-high 126 RBIs. Rendon was also the first-team third baseman for the inaugural All-MLB team.

2019 All-MLB first team

C — J.T. Realmuto
1B — Pete Alonso
2B — DJ LeMahieu
SS — Xander Bogaerts
3B — Anthony Rendon
DH — Nelson Cruz

OF
— Mike Trout
— Cody Bellinger
— Christian Yelich

Rotation
— Jacob deGrom
— Gerrit Cole
— Max Scherzer
— Justin Verlander
— Stephen Strasburg pic.twitter.com/obJ3py0faI
— Bleacher Report MLB (@BR_MLB) December 10, 2019

With the Nationals signing Stephen Strasburg to a massive seven-year contract, Rendon will likely not get the contract he would like from the Nationals, and could leave to sign with a team that has the flexibility to offer him what he feels he is worth.

Adding the offensive talents of either Rendon or Donaldson will be a huge plus for this Angels as a complement to Trout. A player of their caliber could be a difference maker for a team looking to make a big playoff push.