Fans of the Los Angeles Angels enjoyed a bit of an emotional boost after owner Arte Moreno announced he was exploring a sale of the franchise last season. At the MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego, Calif. this week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed his optimism that the league believes this will be resolved soon.
The Angels have had a busy offseason in their roster operations as they’ve added solid contributors in what is assumed to be an incredibly pivotal season if the team hopes to convince superstar Shohei Ohtani to sign long-term. A large domino to fall is Moreno getting out of team control, mainly because he hasn’t been a bright spot for the club during the entirety of his tenure as owner.
With how rare it is for a team owner to bow out and sell their stake in a pro sports franchise, Manfred said Moreno hopes the team will be sold before the 2023 season gets underway, via Bill Shaikin of the LA Times:
“My understanding is that the club would like to have the sale resolved before opening day,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday. “Whether that happens, I think, depends in part on the bidding process and how quickly you can get documents done.”
Major League Baseball is processing potential bidders, because a background check is required to get approval to see the financial information necessary for a party to determine how much its opening bid might be. Manfred said “multiple parties” have cleared that step.
Negotiations for the Angels could push the asking price for a record number, but it’s not out of the ordinary for a major sports franchise to push $3 billion like others have reported.
The first person who was reportedly interested in purchasing the Angels is L.A. Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. In 2012, Soon-Shiong partnered with Steve Cohen in an attempt to buy the L.A. Dodgers, but their bid ultimately failed and Cohen wound up purchasing the New York Mets.
Soon-Shiong is also a part owner of the L.A. Lakers in the NBA and has clearly spent time attempting to add an MLB team to his portfolio.
Perry Minasian believes Angels roster could be improved
The Los Angeles Angels have only signed deliver Carlos Estevez during the Winter Meetings so far, but general manager Perry Minasian is using the time to continue looking for ways to upgrade the roster, specifically in the bullpen and at shortstop.
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