The Los Angeles Angels could have new ownership very soon. Team owner Arte Moreno recently announced he’s looking into selling the Angels 20 years after purchasing the franchise.
This news comes as the Angels were close to purchasing Angel Stadium and the surrounding acreage for development earlier this year. The deal fell apart due to the corruption scandal involving the Anaheim mayor.
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“Although this difficult decision was entirely our choice and deserved a great deal of thoughtful consideration, my family and I have ultimately come to the conclusion that now is the time,” Moreno, said in a statement. “Throughout this process, we will continue to run the franchise in the best interest of our fans, employees, players and business partners.”
Moreno purchased the Angels for $184 million in 2003 from The Walt Disney Company. During his time as the Owner, the Angels won six division titles but none since 2014. The team’s World Series win came in 2002, one year before Moreno became an owner. The Angels have two of the best players in baseball — Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout who shared his thoughts are Moreno possibly selling the team.
“I’m still processing everything,” Trout said. “I’ve been with the Angels my whole career, and we had some great times with Arte. He took care of me and my family. I’m appreciative of all he’s done for me, but I guess he’s moving on. Since Day 1, they took care of me and my family and trusted me. They took a risk, for sure. Anytime they sign you to a big contract, they believe in you, so I’m thankful.”
When Moreno became owner, the team was called the Anaheim Angeles. He added Los Angeles to the name in 2005 and dropped Anaheim in 2016. This season has been a challenging one for the Angeles as they fired their manager, Joe Maddon in June, Phil Nevin is the interim manager and he gave praise to Moreno for what he’s done as the owner.
“For the owner to entrust you with the players and his team, it means a lot to me. He’s been great to me,” Nevin said. “He’s been a great owner for his organization and still is. The six division titles in 20 years. I know people like to focus on the last few years, but he’s been really good to the community.”
