Angels cleared up enough money with Anthony Rendon to make Yankees fans miserable

At this point, the New York Yankees' apparent comfort with Cody Bellinger's market is pointing to one of two plausible outcomes. Either the Yankees end up reuniting with the perfect fit outfielder at their desired price/line in the sand, or someone comes in and wildly jumps the market, inflating costs and swiping Bellinger from New York's clutches. If the contract is reasonable (or a degree or two above reasonable), Belli seems like the Yankees' to lose. But if someone gets unreasonable, and Bellinger sees a payday he can't turn down, they certainly won't match.

Enter the Angels and Arte Moreno, who apparently hasn't ditched his Bellinger dream yet this offseason.

Back in November, the Angels were reported as a Bellinger longshot/interested party, and seemed likely to only become a factor if Moreno happened to roll out of bed on the right day and find a tough-to-match mega-offer hiding between the couch cushions.

That just got a whole lot likelier. The Yankees have stalled in their Bellinger staring contest long enough that the Angels and Scott Boras managed to find a resolution on Anthony Rendon's albatross contract. Rendon's $38 million remainder will no longer count exclusively towards 2026's payroll, but will instead be deferred across the next three-to-five seasons (the work stoppage is gonna get really weird).

That clears up a significant portion of couch cushion money (though, yes, it's just for one year), and also ingratiates the Angels with Boras, Bellinger's agent. That could help them in the Kazuma Okamoto chase (another Boras client). It could also, theoretically, help them import Bellinger.

If nothing else, the two sides could work hand-in-hand to leak a last-minute offer to agitate the Yankees' camp/potentially get them to back off if they're tired of Boras' antics. The Angels have a number of annoying plays in their playbook after the Rendon decision that they couldn't have credibly deployed before the money got cleared. Now, when they bluff ... you kind of have to believe them.

Yankees could face new Cody Bellinger foe in Angels after Anthony Rendon's money clearance

At some point, the Yankees have to figure out how to make deferred money work for them. It keeps showing up as the villain in their story instead.

The discourse has shifted over the past week from quiet confidence to louder Yankees bluster. As the new year crests, it still appears New York has the Bellinger advantage in a slumbering market. But the last thing Hal Steinbrenner and Co. needed was a credible financial challenger who might be able to squeeze some extra bucks out of their pockets (or steal the crown), and Tuesday's news (and Boras-Angels collaboration) just created one.