Is Arte Moreno Poised To Sell The Angels?

Following the 2022 season Angels owner Arte Moreno announced he was was looking to sell the team. Speculation about offers and new ownership swirled around the franchise for over a year until Moreno announced in early 2024 he was keeping the team. His reasoning at the time was his "unfinished business" which likely applied to both on and off field matters. Since that time, the off field issues have been largely resolved, all of which would help facilitate the sale of the franchise.

On the field, Moreno's Angels were coming off their 8th consecutive losing campaign when he decided to hold onto ownership. The Angels farm system also ranked at or near the bottom of baseball. A brutal 99 loss season followed in 2024 and the Angels have made it a full decade of losing after last season's 72-90 record. Two seasons of good draft position and adding prospects via trade have improved the farm rankings a bit but if Arte was trying to win, that has not happened.

The losing was not coming cheaply, either. With payrolls that typically averaged around $200 million per year and multiple free agents signed for future years, the Angels were not a franchise getting good bang for their buck in the win column. As of January 2024, Anthony Rendon was still owed over $113 million and veterans like Tyler Anderson and Robert Stephenson had multiple years left on their deals. With the restructure of Rendon's last $38 million and the passage of time, the team is now looking at very clear books in the near future. In 2027 Mike Trout and Yusei Kikuchi are the only Angels guaranteed money. Flip the calendar forward a couple of months and only Trout is on the books.

If a new owner wanted to come in and remake a team quickly, the Angels are in great position to do so.

However, off field issues were likely the largest impediments to new ownership groups. In January of 2024 the Angels faced a potentially costly wrongful death civil suit from the mother and widow of Tyler Skaggs. Diamond Sports Group, who pays the Angels broadcast rights to their games, was in the midst of a bankruptcy and the Angels were at risk of losing their main source of revenue. On the periphery was a collapsed stadium and land development deal at the site of Angels Stadium.

In the aggregate, new ownership groups were facing serious potential liability, the prospect of losing their primary revenue stream, and trying to pick up the pieces of a stadium deal negotiated by the previous owner. In the two years since the announcement of Moreno keeping the team,

In December of 2025, the Angels reached a confidential settlement with the Skaggs family. Tyler died as the result of ingesting a fentanyl laced pill given to him by former Angels employee Eric Kay who was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for providing the pill. As there were no punitive damages as part of the settlement, most reports state insurance will cover the vast majority or all of the Angels portion of the settlement.

Prior to the Skaggs settlement, the Angels were able to renegotiate their local television broadcast rights deal in late 2024. Financial terms of the restructure have not been released, but the team's games are airing every night on the same network that has carried them for years. Additionally, the Angels launched a streaming service that goes straight to consumers and carries all local broadcasts. While this is not a great time for regional sports networks as a whole, the Angels at least have shored up their primary revenue stream.

New owners typically want to put their people in place as quickly as possible and the Angels are especially wide open to a restructure. John Carpino and Dennis Kuhl are longtime friends of Arte Moreno and have been the President and Chairman of the Angels since 2009. They would leave with Arte. General Manager Perry Minasian is working on the last year of his deal. Manager Kurt Suzuki and his coaching staff were all hired on one year deals. If a new owner wants to clear out the old and remake the franchise, the path is clear.

The one off field issue that is not resolved is the stadium and land development deal. Last month the City of Anaheim reopened the idea of selling the lot. The last deal between the team and City fell apart once it was revealed the City violated state law regarding selling excess land just prior to Moreno's announcement he was selling the team. The City is working with the State this time around and all potential buyers are starting at square one, meaning a potential deal is still years away.

Ultimately, these series of moves may not result in a sale of a franchise. But when considering Moreno discussed the sale with multiple suitors a little over two seasons ago, the prospect of a sale can not be dismissed. In the time since he decided to hold onto the franchise, Moreno has cleared the Skaggs liability, shored up his broadcast revenue, and created a team and front office with little to no long term liability. He can also offer a new ownership group the opportunity to engage with the City of Anaheim to craft their own stadium purchase and development proposal.

Arte Moreno may or may not sell the Angels. But he certainly has the franchise primed to be taken over by a new owner.