Last month, Arte Moreno announced his plan to sell the Angels team after almost 20 years of ownership. He originally purchased the Angels in 2003 from the Walt Disney Co. for $180 million; now, Forbes values the company at $2.2 billion. However, Moreno does not have a potential buyer lined up and has yet to issue a statement on the reason for the sale.
“My family and I have ultimately come to the conclusion that now is the time. Throughout this process, we will continue to run the franchise in the best interest of our fans, employees, players, and business partners,” said Moreno in a press release statement from the Angels organization.
In the past decade, the Angels have failed to meet fans’ expectations due to their consistent losses in major league games, which many fans speculate stems from issues with management. The Angels were at the peak of their success throughout the 2000s, after winning the 2002 World Series. However, the team has seemingly taken a turn for the worst since 2010.
Despite being a top ten spending team in the league, the Angels have failed to enter a playoff game since 2009, marking the seventh consecutive season they haven’t done so. This is especially upsetting for fans of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, who have been star players in the league for years but have never made the playoffs.
The team’s recent struggles can be drawn to question over ownership and the recent controversy in May, when the Angels hoped to sell the Angels stadium to the city for $320 million, as reported by the Orange County (OC) register. The decade-long losing streak has caused fewer tickets to be sold, from at least 3 million each season to 2.5 million projected for next season. However, these efforts were halted when the FBI launched an investigation into Anaheim mayor, Harry Sidhu, for sharing confidential information with the Angels team during the sale.
In the deal, Sindhu would have violated the California Surplus Land Act, which maintains affordable housing and regulates sustainable reuse of land, by overpaying for the Angel’s stadium property. He had hoped to fund his re-election campaign with financial donations from the Angels by making the deal more favorable for their management.
Even with the recent controversy surrounding the Angel’s team management, fans are sad to see Moreno go. Although they believe that new ownership could breathe life into the team, the members of the team are not necessarily happy. The Angels players have expressed gratitude for all the work that Moreno has invested in the organization and this sudden and unplanned decision has left many on the team in shock.
“I’m still trying to process it,” Trout said to the OC Register. “I found out when you guys found out. […]. Had some great times with Arte. He took care of me, my family. I appreciate all he has done for me. I guess he’s moving on.”
