TEMPE, Ariz. -- As owner Arte Moreno was talking with reporters during his annual informal media session at Spring Training on Monday, he joked that, nearly 15 minutes into the interview, nobody had asked him about Anthony Rendon.

It’s clear that Moreno has an affinity for Rendon, who in the offseason signed a seven-year deal worth $245 million to become the club’s everyday third baseman. Moreno has followed Rendon’s career since his days at Rice University in Houston and believes that adding another star player to the lineup will help the Angels reach the postseason for the first time since 2014.

“We spent most of the time analyzing pitching but when it got down to it, we felt our money in the long-term would be better spent on Rendon, arguably the best position player available,” Moreno said. “We haven’t had a third baseman for a really long time and thought he fit in well with this team.”

Rendon, 29, should provide an immediate impact for the Angels, as he’s long been one of the game’s most consistent performers. In fact, the only two players in the Majors who have reached at least six Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in each of the last three seasons are Mike Trout and Rendon, per baseball-reference.com. And now the two are teammates and should combine to become one of the best duos in baseball, along with the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts.

“He’s definitely going to boost the lineup,” Trout said. “I got to talk to him a little bit in the offseason and a little yesterday. I’m looking forward to it. We’re excited. Adding a guy like that will definitely help the squad.”

Rendon is also coming off a season in which he batted .319/.412/.598 with 34 homers, 44 doubles and 126 RBIs in 146 games, and finished third in the balloting for the NL MVP. He led the Nationals to their first-ever World Series title. He compared arriving at Angels camp to the first day of school, as he’s still getting to know his new teammates, but he believes this is a team that can compete.

“I’m excited,” Rendon said. “I think we've made a lot of great moves. [General manager] Billy [Eppler] has done a terrific job of giving us a lot of pitching, a lot of pitching options, and obviously our offense has been explosive, at least in recent years. We have a lot of guys in the lineup who can do some damage, so it's going to be fun just to see how this year comes out and see what we can do."

Rendon brings postseason experience, making the playoffs four times during his tenure with Washington. He's hit .282/.370/.479 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 31 games, including batting .328/.413/.590 with three homers and 15 RBIs in 17 postseason games last year.

Rendon said in the offseason he watched some World Series highlights to remind himself that winning the World Series in seven games was real, but now is the time to focus on 2020.

"You still think about it, for sure,” Rendon said. “But you've got to forget. Short-term memory. Doesn't mean anything now. I definitely have watched the highlights of them like, 'Man, that really did happen.' But it's over now, got a new year."