Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno, who was exploring selling the ballclub he has owned since 2003, has decided to end the potential sale process and will remain in control of the team in 2023 and future seasons, he announced in a statement.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Today, the #Angels announced that the Moreno Family is ending the exploratory process to sell the team and will continue ownership throughout the 2023 Season and beyond. pic.twitter.com/aokYfba1Dp
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) January 23, 2023
The sale process reached the stage of the league vetting several of their bidders, and the hope was that it would be completed by 2023’s Opening Day, according to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.
Negotiations for the Angels were expected to push the asking price to a record number that may have reached $3 billion. Among the bidders were L.A. Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob.
Despite the ongoing sale process, the Angels continued to spend in free agency and increased their payroll to a record level with the acquisitions of Hunter Renfroe, Tyler Anderson, Gio Urshela, Brandon Drury and Carlos Estévez.
With the future ownership of the Angels now settled, all sights turn to Shohei Ohtani, who is set to become a free agent following the 2023 season and will be highly sought after on the open market with a record contract that could reach $500 million.
The Angels will also need to figure out the future of their stadium as their previous deal with the city was nixed due to a corruption scandal, and the hope was a new owner would invest in upgrading the stadium.
Rod Carew had ‘renewed hope’ for Angels with possible sale
Rod Carew’s impact on the Angels is a special one as he was named to six All-Star selections as a member of the team, and in 834 career games, he slashed .314/.393/.392 during his tenure. Carew played for the Angels from 1979 to 1985 but transitioned to the coaching staff prior to the 1992 season.
It’s unclear how the relationship between Carew and the Angels soured, but during Moreno’s time as owner of the club, both he and former manager Mike Scioscia had a falling out which led to the disconnect. He expressed his support on social media that the rift would end if a new ownership group took over.
It now appears Carew will continue to keep his distance from the organization.
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