According to ESPN, Arte Moreno has agreed to sell the Los Angeles Angels after 23 years. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, led by Stan Kroenke, reached a deal to buy a controlling interest in the team from Moreno.
ESPN MLB expert Alden Gonzalez noted Kroenke, 79, already presides over the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and that Kroenke Sports & Entertainment owns multiple other franchises, including the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, MLS’ Colorado Rapids, the NLL’s Colorado Mammoth and Arsenal’s men’s and women’s teams. Forbes estimates Kroenke’s net worth at roughly $24.3 billion; ESPN said Moreno is worth about $5 billion.
Under Moreno, MLB’s first Latino majority owner, the Angels reached the postseason six times but have not played meaningful October baseball since 2014. The team also saw two-way star Shohei Ohtani leave in free agency after the 2023 season, signing with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Mike Trout remains with the club amid years of limited playoff success.
Gonzalez pointed to Kroenke’s actions with the Rams as evidence of the style he may bring to Anaheim: trading up to draft Jared Goff, hiring Sean McVay as head coach, pushing for top-tier talent under general manager Les Snead and engineering construction of SoFi Stadium and a surrounding sports-and-entertainment campus. Gonzalez said the Angels need that kind of boldness after becoming stale.
ESPN’s Buster Olney assessed Moreno’s tenure as one of the least effective in baseball, citing an unusual management style that sometimes included intervening in player negotiations for marquee signings such as Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols, while cutting expenses elsewhere in the organization. Olney also said Moreno refused to permit former GM Perry Minasian to trade Shohei Ohtani when it appeared Ohtani was headed to free agency.
On the club’s star attraction, Gonzalez told ESPN he believes Trout likely wants to remain in Orange County and that renewed organizational hope — including the addition of John Mozeliak as a consultant — could influence Trout’s future. How involved Kroenke will be with day-to-day baseball operations remains to be seen, according to ESPN.
