The Los Angeles Angels are officially off the market, and in a move expected to shatter MLB records, owner Arte Moreno has agreed to sell the club to Stan Kroenke. This deal is going to blow past the Padres’ $3.9 billion sale, setting a new high for a professional sports franchise. Yeah, you read that right, billions. But even with all that cash changing hands, the biggest story here is still their mind-numbing 11-year playoff drought.
The Wallets Behind the Empire: Meet the New Boss
Stan Kroenke, who’s 79, is not messing around when it comes to sports ownership. His company, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, just added the Angels to an already stacked lineup that includes the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, MLS’s Colorado Rapids, and Arsenal from the Premier League. The guy knows how to run a sports empire. Kroenke even dropped a statement saying, “The Angels are a storied franchise anchored in a great market. We look forward to an exciting future with the Angels organization.” Sounds good on paper, but turning a team around takes more than just a big bankroll. One of Kroenke’s first big moves will be deciding if interim general manager John Mozeliak gets the full-time gig or if he’s bringing in someone new to take the reins. That’s a huge call.
Moreno’s Era: A Story of Highs, Lows, and Zero Postseason Wins
Arte Moreno, 80, bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company back in 2003 for $180 million, becoming the first Mexican-American owner of a major U.S. franchise. He took over just months after the team won its first World Series. The early years under Moreno were good, with the Angels hitting the postseason in five of six years starting in 2004. Then Mike Trout, a future Hall of Famer, showed up around 2011-12, and they made the playoffs again in 2014. That was it. They haven’t been back since, and get this: they haven’t won a single postseason game or series since 2009. That drought is insane, especially because it covered Trout’s legendary peak and Shohei Ohtani’s first six seasons in MLB. Moreno spent money, sure, but his touch on the free agent market was famously bad. Those Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Anthony Rendon, Justin Upton, and Gary Matthews Jr. contracts? Yikes. Plus, there has been a revolving door in leadership, with seven managers since 2018 and Mozeliak being the sixth head of baseball operations. As of the sale on September 1, 2026, the Angels are 53-85 and sitting in fourth place in the American League West, officially clinching their ninth straight season missing the playoffs.
So, Kroenke has his work cut out for him. They’re already out of it for the year, and the question now isn’t if they’ll make the playoffs, but how quickly Kroenke can begin to change a culture that hasn’t seen October baseball in over a decade. Get ready for some big moves in Anaheim, because that drought has gotta end somehow.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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