Stan Kroenke Intends To Build New $2.5 Billion Ballpark

The biggest story of the last decade for the Los Angeles Angels broke on Tuesday, when it was announced that Arte Moreno would be selling the controlling stake of the franchise to Stan Kroenke’s massive Sports & Entertainment holding company. The sale was reported at an estimated value of $4.5 billion, making it the biggest sale of a MLB team in league history.

With Kroenke comes a new era of Angels baseball, one that will hopefully end a decade-long streak of being under .500 and missing the playoffs. Additionally, reports state that one of Kroenke’s first orders of business as the owner of the Angels will be to give the team a brand new place to play, according to Barry M. Bloom of Forbes:

In addition, Kroenke intends to build a new $2.5 billion ballpark to replace aging and decaying Angel Stadium, which opened in 1966 and has been refurbished at least twice.

It remains to be seen if Kroenke will keep the Angels in their current lot just between the 57 and 5 freeways in Anaheim. But that would certainly be the easiest way to both show his commitment to the region and have a lot of land already owned by the city and primed for a new stadium.

Honda Center is already undergoing massive change with O.C. Vibe, still in development. The Angels getting a multi-billion dollar stadium just across the street would make that corner of Anaheim one of the best places to be in Orange County.

It hasn’t taken long for Kroenke’s impact to show. Under Moreno, even the refurbishment of Angel Stadium was a battle, and both the franchise and the team that played in it appeared to be crumbling to pieces. The Kroenke era will breathe new life into the franchise in more ways the one.

Other Stan Kroenke franchises and their stadiums

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has done a stellar job of building great franchises — and good stadiums — everywhere he goes. The L.A. Rams have SoFi Stadium, one of the greatest sport venues in the country, and are seeking to win their second Super Bowl since the start of the decade.

The Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, share Ball Arena, a well-designed arena in downtown Denver that has already gotten necessary refurbishments.