Arte Moreno officially pulls Angels off the market, will remain owner

In late August, Arte Moreno announced that he was going to begin exploring a potential sale of the Los Angeles Angels franchise. This was something Angels fans had been clamoring for as they missed the postseason for an eighth consecutive season. Moreno has announced that he is taking the Angels off the market and is here to stay.

Arte Moreno no longer interested in selling the LA Angels.

Arte Moreno released a statement saying that he will continue to own the Angels franchise in 2023 and beyond. To say this is disappointing would be an understatement.

Moreno purchased the Angels in 2003, a year after they won the World Series. Since then, the Angels have just two playoff series wins and have most recently gone through eight straight losing seasons.

Since taking over as the owner of a team in the second-largest media market in the country, Moreno has allowed the Angels to go over the luxury tax one time. The crosstown Dodgers constantly go over the tax and build sustainable winners. Moreno doesn't give the Angels the money needed to develop players or build teams that can compete for the World Series.

Moreno correctly notes in his statement that the Angels do have a team record payroll, but they're still $14 million dollars below the tax. Had the Angels been willing to go over it by signing one of the star shortstops or by bringing in another star pitcher, this team could really be considered a playoff team.

The dream for Angels fans was to have someone like Steve Cohen running the show. An owner who will stop at nothing to try and win. Moreno has never been that guy, and it's unfortunate that Angels fans will not get what they've been clamoring for.

Moreno announcing that he was exploring a sale of the team after eight straight seasons without a playoff appearance only to have a change of heart and pull the club off of the market is another blow to a fanbase starved for success. We need change, and unfortunately, we aren't getting it yet.