Angels insider delivers verdict fans dreaded on possible forced Arte Moreno sale

Back in 2022, the Phoenix Suns were owned by a man named Robert Sarver who was much maligned by Suns fans for his basketball operations. The Suns were a once great franchise led by all-timers like Charles Barkley, Jeff Hornacek, but they then became a laughingstock of the association for many years under Sarver's watch. The billionaire owner was not liked by fans at all, but they had their dreams come true when Sarver essentially was forced to sell the Suns -- despite the reasoning being for ethically murky reasons to celebrate.

What has been the rallying cry from Los Angeles Angels fans for the past...I don't know...decade-plus? "Sell the team, Arte." That phrase gets chanted at Angel Stadium, trends on Twitter all the time and has become a mantra of this suffering fanbase. Every single baseball writer, personality, pundit etc. universally agrees Moreno is one of the worse owners in the sport. However, all that being said, he is not selling the team anytime soon despite the long ongoing trial between the Skaggs family and the team. It has been reported that MLB and the players will not force a Moreno sale, similar to what the NBA and its players did with Robert Sarver.

Angels insider delivers verdict fans dreaded on possible forced Arte Moreno sale

Per Bill Shaikin of The LA Times: "As the trial about whether the Angels should be held at least partially liable for the death of Tyler Skaggs enters its third week, major league officials are closely monitoring the proceedings. The trial is scheduled to last several more weeks, and it would be premature for the league to determine what action it might take against the Angels — if any — until all evidence is revealed in court and a verdict or a settlement is reached."

Shaikin is alluding to the fact that Moreno's team could be paying the Skaggs family hundreds of millions of dollars if they are found to know or should have known about Skaggs’ drug use prior to his death. After Shaikin laid out the details of the case and that members of MLB are watching, he stated that Angels fans should not expect some widespread decision on Moreno's ownership of the team: "However, it is considered highly unlikely that the league would compel Angels owner Arte Moreno to sell the team."

The Skaggs trial has been hanging over this organization for many years, and the verdict should be coming relatively soon. For many people, including Mike Trout, there will be no resolution of losing Skaggs. It is an awful situation that is a black mark on the team's history.