Anthony Rendon turned down the Los Angeles Dodgers in order to join the Angels, and he had an interesting reason for doing so.
Rendon was introduced to the media on Saturday, and he cited the “Hollywood lifestyle” that comes with playing for the Dodgers as the reason he decided against playing there.
New #Angels 3B Anthony Rendon on #Dodgers: “It’s not that we didn’t want to play for them, they’re a great organization that’s built to win. But what we heard about how the organization is, the Hollywood lifestyle, it didn’t seem like it would be a fit for me and my family.”
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) December 14, 2019
It’s a very interesting quote. That sort of factor would attract many players, but Rendon isn’t one of them. Despite this, he still opted to play in the Los Angeles area — just for the Angels, who aren’t as well-known or highly-regarded across the country or the world.
In other words, this report ended up being entirely correct. Rendon doesn’t really want the bright spotlight or the media attention that would come with being the Dodgers’ top free agent acquisition. Orange County is a little more low-key, and playing for the Angels will also allow Rendon to pass the spotlight and attention on to Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani instead.
Dodgers fans, show everyone who runs LA with this great T-shirt:
