Arte Moreno Shifts Course, Will Remain Owner of Angels
The Los Angeles Angels won’t be sold this off-season, after all.
Owner Arte Moreno, who announced plans last August to explore selling the team, revealed Monday that he has reversed his decision and has taken his franchise off the market. Moreno purchased the Angels from the Walt Disney Company in 2003 following the club’s 2002 World Series victory.
“During this process, it became clear that we have unfinished business and feel we can make a positive impact on the future of the team and the fan experience,” Moreno said in a statement Monday night. “This offseason we committed to a franchise record player payroll and still want to accomplish our goal of bringing a World Series Championship back to our fans. We are excited about this next chapter of Angels Baseball.”
Moreno, the head of an outdoor advertising company in Arizona, met with potential buyers this winter to gauge the interest level of the Angels franchise. But it appears the 76-year-old either didn’t receive his preferred asking price or simply had a change of heart.
“We are grateful to Galatioto Sports Partners for their outstanding efforts throughout the process that allowed us to meet with a number of highly qualified individuals and groups who expressed strong interest in the Club,” Moreno continued. “However, as discussions advanced and began to crystallize, we realized our hearts remain with the Angels, and we are not ready to part ways with the fans, players and our employees.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Mandred also released a brief statement Monday, expressing his thoughts on Moreno’s decision to remain one of the sport’s 30 owners for the foreseeable future.
“Despite strong buyer interest in the Angels, Arte Moreno’s love of the game is most important to him,” Manfred said. “I am very pleased that the Moreno Family has decided to continue owning the team.”
Manfred admitted at the winter meetings in December that he hoped a sale of the Angels would be completed by Opening Day 2023, saying, “The point at which people actually see financial information is an important step forward in the process.” Now, over a month later, the situation has been resolved.
Under Moreno’s watch, Los Angeles’s front office has dished out several high-priced contracts, with the owner frequently involved in the process. That hasn’t translated into success, though, as management’s three notable free-agent signings (Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Anthony Rendon) are each regarded as busts.
The Angels’ current ballpark situation also remains in limbo. Moreno’s latest effort to purchase the stadium’s 150-acre site from Anaheim was voted against by the city council in May 2022 amid speculation of a scandal surrounding the deal, ultimately leading to mayor Harry Sidhu’s resignation.
The club’s lease on Angel Stadium runs through 2029 and carries a club option to extend it through 2038. The Angels’ ballpark is the fourth-oldest in the majors, surrounded by miles of undeveloped land.
With the team’s ownership solidified, now the debate shifts to two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani’s murky future. The 2021 AL MVP avoided his final year of arbitration in October, signing a one-year deal worth $30 million, making him eligible for free agency after next season.
Most experts believed the Angels would trade Ohtani this off-season, eliminating the need for a new owner to cross that sensitive avenue. But with Moreno sticking around, it’s worth wondering if both sides can reach a long-term agreement.
Los Angeles can’t afford to let Ohtani – one of the greatest players in the sport’s history – depart in free agency next winter, though. So if he remains unsigned closer to the midseason trade deadline, he could be on the move ahead of a potentially historic free-agent signing period.
Even with former MVPs in Ohtani and Mike Trout – signed through 2030 – the Angels haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, tied with the Detroit Tigers for the longest drought in the majors.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.