LA Angels fans are watching complete failure in leadership under Arte Moreno

As a fan for one-quarter century, I’m tired of seeing terrible people run organizations into the ground. Whether that be the Los Angeles Clippers before Steve Ballmer, the Oakland Athletics with their Las Vegas mess, or the Washington Commanders and Dan Snyder, poor ownership tarnishes sports and what they are meant to stand for.

Arte Moreno must now be put in that conversation as of Wednesday as owner of the Los Angeles Angels.

Angels owner Arte Moreno is a failure

After a piece in The Athletic put out regarding confidence in Angels leadership, Arte Moreno talked to everyone but The Athletic representative at presser with all media in Tempe, AZ. Way to not act like a 10-year-old, Arte!

This offseason has been full of news from possibly Mark Cuban buying the club, rumors that Moreno has been despondent after losing Shohei Ohtani via Twitter (even though ShoheiOhtani gave the Angels a chance to match the offer), the constant rumors of disgust in the minor leagues affiliated with the Angels, and confusion on even the basic things an organization should be doing. That includes announcing the spring training roster late, lacking the ability to care what the fans want and are saying, and treating people in the media with respect.

The Angels only get one extra pick for losing Ohtani this offseason when, just last summer, teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and even the Texas Rangers were rumored to be interested in acquiring Ohtani’s services. Those squads have some of the best prospects in Major League Baseball. Instead, Moreno decided to go all out for players like Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and CJ Cron, who ended up either being placed on waivers and lost for nothing or becoming injured. Moreno inherited a top 10 farm system when he bought the club from Disney. It is now the worst or second-worst, depending on which article publication you prefer. The Angels have one player in the consensus top 100 prospects list.

Chase Silseth, Ben Joyce, and Sam Bachman, some of the top prospects called up last year, never played a single game in Triple-A. Not even one. The reason the Los Angeles Dodgers are always in it is not just because they have a big pocketbook, but they have one of the top farm systems in the majors. The last big-time prospect to come out of the Angels' system was Mike Trout, 13 years ago. Sure, signing someone of Albert Pujols’ stature can cover up problems below the surface a bit. Any signing Arte Moreno has executed since the 2010s has been Febreze trying to mask the smell of rotten milk. Us fans must drink that rotten milk, chunks, and all. He does not care. Jerry Dipoto, the Angels' former general manager, has led the Seattle Mariners to the playoffs for the first time since the turn of the century over the last few years. The Rangers just won a World Series for the first time after a season with 90 losses. Heck, at least the Athletics are trying to leave the tarpit in Oakland. What are we doing?

Some of it must be placed on us fans. We have been blinded by the shiny toys of Trout, Pujols, and Ohtani for so long that we don’t see that this franchise may have already been lost without any point of return. To cure any disease, you must rid the source, or you won’t get better. That’s scientific fact. Arte Moreno is the source. Part of the rot may have been Josh Hamilton, Billy Eppler, or even Joe Maddon (an assertion with which I disagree). The rot within the Angels' franchise is growing rapidly, however, now more than ever. So, if we got rid of "the problem," why does the disease remain? It’s because none of these people were the problem. They may have been symptoms, but Arte Moreno, the genesis, is still there.

To get rid of something so festering, you must use a scalpel and other medical tools. We are those medical tools. Us writers have only so much power. It is on fan Jeff, age 88, to fan Samantha, age 8, to call for Arte Moreno to sell the team. Look into the corruption scandal with the City of Anaheim and Moreno. Look into the issues at this team’s Double-A affiliate regarding simple housing. We have tons of articles about it here on Halo Hangout, or just look at the Orange County Register or Los Angeles Times. We have gone through tragedies like losing pitchers Nick Adenhart and Tyler Skaggs. What could their families possibly be thinking?

Are you willing to protest this team as it is constructed? Are you willing to not watch them on television? Are you even willing to make a simple Twitter/X statement voicing your displeasure? I’ve had enough. Have you? What will you do about it?