Rendon: 'Hollywood lifestyle' didn't seem to fit

Only 30 miles of freeway separate Angel Stadium and Dodger Stadium, but the contrasting atmospheres of Anaheim and Los Angeles made a difference for Anthony Rendon as he picked the Angels in free agency.

Rendon, who agreed to a seven-year, $245 million deal with the Angels, said in his introductory press conference Saturday that with "the Hollywood lifestyle" of Los Angeles, it "just didn't seem like it would be a fit for us as a family."

Signing with the Angels, on the other hand, lets Rendon, his wife Amanda and his daughter Emma enjoy Southern California without the L.A. spotlight, as Rendon said he's found the vibe in Orange County to be much different.

"I think when people think about California, they think of the straight Hollywood, that glamour lifestyle, whole bunch of flashes and so much paparazzi," Rendon said. "But everyone just said it's the complete opposite down here."

Rendon said it wasn't that he didn't want to play for the Dodgers -- saying they were "always a team we thought we would consider" because they're a perennial playoff team -- but he prefers a lower-key lifestyle, which he thinks his family can have in Anaheim but maybe not in L.A.

"Nothing against [the Dodgers] as an organization," Rendon said. "We still loved meeting with them, we loved having those conversations, but in the end it was what we thought was going to be best for our family."