Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno decided to keep ownership of the Major League Baseball franchise five months to the day after announcing the exploration of sale.
“During this process, it became clear that we have unfinished business and feel we can make a positive impact on the future of the team and the fan experience,” Moreno’s statement reads.
“This offseason we committed to a franchise record player payroll and still want to accomplish our goal of bringing a World Series Championship back to our fans. We are excited about this next chapter of Angels Baseball.”
Moreno purchased the team for $183.5 million in 2003, a year after the club won its only World Series title. The team was most recently valued at $2.2 billion, according to Forbes.
Moreno’s $320 million deal to purchase Angel Stadium and the surrounding parking lot from the city of Anaheim fell apart amid a federal investigation.
Expectations for the Angels were high heading into 2022 with some key pieces.
- Three-time MVP Mike Trout
- 2021 AL MVP Shohei Ohtani
- Top-10 MLB payroll of $179 million
The Angels finished the season at 73-89, 33 games behind division winner Houston Astros.
One Team Left
Now with the Angels’ reversal, the Washington Nationals are the lone MLB team currently for sale.
In April 2022, Nationals managing principal owner Mark Lerner announced that the team would explore a sale. The team is expected to fetch between $2 billion and $3 billion.
