Arte Moreno, the owner of the Los Angeles Angels, has faced significant criticism from fans. Moreno acquired the team from The Walt Disney Company in 2003, and although they initially experienced success, winning their division five times in six seasons, their performance has declined since then. Despite having two exceptional players, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, for the majority of the past decade, the team has struggled.
In 2022, Moreno made the decision to put the Angels up for sale, attracting considerable interest from potential buyers. However, in 2023, he announced that he had chosen to remain as the owner, which was seen as a crucial development for a franchise that needed to retain their superstar player.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Ohtani ultimately decided to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, signing a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract, with $680 million deferred until the mid-2030s. Initially, it appeared that the Dodgers had found a way to avoid high luxury tax payrolls by proposing deferred payments to Ohtani. However, his agent later revealed that they had made the same offer to every interested team, including the Angels.
Surprisingly, Moreno turned down the offer. This decision has made his recent comments about future ownership even more frustrating.
Recently, Moreno spoke to The Athletic and Orange County Register, responding with a simple “no” when asked about selling the team. He later elaborated in an interview with the Register, stating that he has no plans to leave anytime soon.
“I am committed to the long-term,” Moreno assured the Register. “There have been inquiries, but I want to make it clear that the team is not for sale.”
However, the question remains: why? Moreno is one of the few owners in a major market who has refused to pay any of MLB’s luxury tax penalties. Although it initially seemed that he would exceed the first threshold in 2023, the team’s front office chose to give away players without receiving any compensation in order to avoid paying even the slightest amount of tax. While Moreno has consistently maintained high payrolls, he has been unwilling to increase them further to compensate for underperformance, poor signings, or lackluster player development.
Furthermore, when presented with the opportunity to make a franchise-altering decision and retain Shohei Ohtani in Anaheim, Moreno was not willing to match the offer accepted by the Dodgers and Giants. While Ohtani may have still chosen to move to Los Angeles, Moreno’s decision completely eliminated any possibility of the 29-year-old staying with the Angels.
This decision is particularly perplexing considering Moreno’s age of 77 and the fact that the deferred payments would not come due until he is nearly 90. What was the realistic downside to saying “yes” and forcing Ohtani to reject the offer?
Moreno purchased the team for $180 million in 2003, and it is now estimated to be worth at least $2.5 billion. With a personal net worth of approximately $5 billion, and at his age, what is the point of holding onto a competitive team when there is no interest in competing?
During Trout’s tenure, the Angels only made the playoffs once, and with Ohtani, they failed to make the playoffs at all. While not all of the blame falls solely on Moreno, as he has made hiring and firing decisions in the front office and set the team’s budgets, the responsibility ultimately rests at the top.
Additionally, Angel Stadium lacks inspiration, and efforts to rebuild or find a new location have been hindered by strained relations between Moreno and the city. What is the ultimate goal here? To continue with mediocrity, winning only 75 games, until local taxpayers are coerced into funding a new stadium with hundreds of millions of dollars? It certainly seems that way.
Instead of investing the substantial savings from losing Ohtani this offseason into improving the team, Moreno chose to allocate the funds to reliever Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Aaron Hicks, and Zach Plesac. It remains to be seen whether this will satisfy frustrated Angels fans. Based on Moreno’s statements, it appears that they will continue to be disappointed in the foreseeable future.
According to the Source outkick.com