How soon may Arte Moreno finally sell the Angels?

Arte Moreno put the Angels for sale in 2022. In one of the greatest what ifs (if not the greatest) in Angels history, Moreno had a "change of heart" and decided to retain his majority stakeholder shares in his beloved Angels.

Moreno touched on whether he would end of putting the team for sale again recently. “I can’t tell you about the future,” Moreno said. “If someone makes some stupid, crazy offer, I’ve got to do what’s best for the family. I do the best I can to run it as a business.” Angels fans are pleading for some rich benefactor like Joe Lacob or Patrick Soon-Shiong to do just that, but that seems like a long shot at this point.

Despite the efforts of these "highly qualified individuals and groups," no deal could get done. Moreno continues to clench his iron grip over one of the worst-run organizations in baseball. Moreno is widely known as one of the owners who meddles the most with his front office in sports. His run from 2003 to 2014 was fruitful, but Moreno is showing his true colors now. Any good will Moreno earned for those first 12 seasons as owner are long gone, much like Shohei Ohtani.

Whether it's not spending money on players Mike Trout wants, or losing the greatest player in baseball history through free agency with zero return back, or negating impactful trades his parade of general managers worked hard to generate, or neglecting to build the Angels from the bottom-up in terms of prioritizing his minor league pipeline, or failing to bring the Angels into the twenty-first century via data and technological integrations, Moreno has overseen the worst decade in franchise history from the 2015 season up until now. If you did not already know, the Angels had their worst season ever in 2024, have the longest current playoff drought in baseball, and have little-to-no hope on the horizon.

How much longer will this last? Moreno is 78-years-old and should continue to generate profitable returns from his team in Anaheim. He has very little incentive to sell. In fact, he can sit back, do nothing, and potentially draw in even more fans! The Anaheim Ducks' owner plans to open a new, world-class group of restaurants, hotels, and music venues. More fans should flock to Anaheim, CA and feel compelled to hang out more around Angels Stadium before and after Angels games. Maybe Moreno's plan is to sell after he sees his favorite team succeed in the playoffs one last time on his watch? That could take...a while.

Who knows what crazy number could compel Moreno to sell, maybe around $3.5 billion? All Angels fans see are teams like the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, teams with previously toxic ownership groups, finally be rid of those pernicious weeds and immediately find newfound success on the baseball field. Perry Minasian could be a great general manager and Ron Washington could be a great manager, but it does not seem likely that they will field a winning ballclub under the constraints of the current regime. They are restricted because of the powers at the top. Even if Moreno decides to sell, Angels fans will not believe it until they see it.

Every great team needs a great owner, and the Angels have long needed a change in that regard to spark a turnaround.