It has been an extremely disappointing year for the Los Angeles Angels, who relieved manager Joe Maddon of his duties back in June. The organization may be heading towards even more change after comments from owner Arte Moreno on Tuesday.
According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, Moreno said on Tuesday that he is exploring the possibility of selling the team.
Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno says he's exploring selling the team.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 23, 2022
Moreno released a statement on the matter, revealing that he and his family came to the hard conclusion that now is the time to sell the franchise.
“It has been a great honor and privilege to own the Angels for 20 seasons. As an Organization, we have worked to provide our fans an affordable and family-friendly ballpark experience while fielding competitive lineups which included some of the game’s all-time greatest players.
“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. Throughout this process, we will continue to run the franchise in the best interest of our fans, employees, players, and business partners.”
Moreno has been the owner of the Angels organization since 2003, leaving many Angels fans pleasantly surprised by this statement on Tuesday.
Step 1: Steve Cohen buys the Angels.
Step 2: Angels trade Ohtani and Trout to Mets for Bobby Bonilla https://t.co/NZOsPRPPWQ— Dan Lewis (@DanDotLewis) August 23, 2022
Long overdue. https://t.co/abZwjF9LXL
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) August 23, 2022
Do not quite recall a sports team owner going from so universally beloved to so universally loathed by his customer base. https://t.co/KkiPwWvkzk
— Matt Welch (@MattWelch) August 23, 2022
He's done a masterful job plumping up the asking price! https://t.co/lcEZG7or5g
— Josh Landes 🧙♂️ (@JoshLandesWAMC) August 23, 2022
Angels legend Rod Carew liked this tweet… Says a lot about how people feel about Arte https://t.co/LRISOAVPWr pic.twitter.com/NSe2aPaAOt
— Tyler Carey (@TC_CLE) August 23, 2022
Whoa but good https://t.co/0yYWlAGE4T
— Phillip Martinez (@Phill_Martinez) August 23, 2022
Moreno’s failure to put a winning roster behind stars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani has been well publicized for years now, and given their meltdown after an impressive start this season, it definitely seems like it is time for a change for the Angels.
This could have a huge effect on the future of Ohtani in Los Angeles, who has been rumored to have an interest in leaving once he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2023 season.
A new owner could bring a different approach to keeping Ohtani, but it also could be a situation where things are already too far gone and the two-way star looks elsewhere to experience more team success.
