Arte Moreno finally sold the Los Angeles Angels to Stan Kroenke on Tuesday, a massive shift in baseball ownership. This dude owned the Angels for over two decades, starting right after they won the World Series in 2003. But let’s be real, his legacy isn’t about championships, it’s about presiding over the longest active playoff drought in the league. They haven’t seen postseason action since 2014, man! Moreno made so many ownership mistakes that his name was consistently tossed around with the worst in baseball. Now that he’s out, the spotlight is shining bright on other owners who’ve been crushing their fanbases under constant pressure.
Spending Nothing For The Pirates, Stealing A Team From Oakland
First up, you’ve got Bob Nutting, the guy who’s been running the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2007. It’s been a rough, rough stretch for that franchise under his watch. Sure, they made the playoffs three times from 2013 to 2015, but that’s their only postseason action since 1993, and every single season since 2017 they’ve finished dead last or second to last, either fourth or fifth place. But the biggest problem with Nutting? He just doesn’t spend any money to make the team better! Picture this: a decade long stretch, from Ivan Nova in 2016 to Ryan O’Hearn in 2025, where the Pirates didn’t sign a single free agent to a multi-year deal. Unprecedented in modern sports, right? His unwillingness to invest, big or small, has totally screwed the Pirates’ chances at competing for a title. Fans are absolutely fed up and they’ve been yelling for change.
Then there’s John Fisher, the Athletics owner. Honestly, it’s tough to imagine a more hated guy in baseball right now. He’s the one responsible for ripping the Athletics away from Oakland and moving them to Las Vegas, starting in 2028. This billionaire has consistently overseen some of the lowest payrolls in the entire league, and he couldn’t even manage to get a new stadium deal done in the Bay Area. Fisher is literally the only owner on this list who’s robbed his fanbase of baseball for the foreseeable future. He claims he’ll actually spend money when they get to Vegas, but that just makes it even worse that he wouldn’t do it for Oakland. The A’s are one of only two teams in baseball that have never, ever given out a nine-figure deal. Fans in Oakland made their frustration super clear in the last few years, feeling completely robbed of their home team.
One World Series Can’t Hide Decades Of Underperformance
Let’s not forget Jerry Reinsdorf, the White Sox owner since way back in 1981. He’s the only owner on this list who actually has a World Series ring, with Chicago finally breaking their title drought in 2005. That’s a huge deal, for sure. But outside of that one shining moment, the White Sox have totally failed to be consistent contenders. Why? You guessed it: a serious lack of spending on free agents. Their biggest contract in team history is Andrew Benintendi’s five-year, $75 million deal. That’s just paltry, man, especially when you compare it to the massive deals other teams are throwing around. White Sox fans deserve more than one good run every few decades.
Moreno finally selling the Angels is a huge win for their fanbase, no doubt. But for fans of the Pirates, Athletics, and White Sox? The fight isn’t over. They’re still waiting for their ownership nightmare to end, hoping that this shift with the Angels sets a new precedent. Because seriously, these fanbases deserve better than owners who refuse to invest in a winning team and consistently put profits over the product on the field.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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