Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno on Monday announced that he is not selling the team, and it seems clear his decision had nothing to do with a lack of interest.
The Angels had as many as five potential bidders, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic. The franchise was expected to sell for more than $2.5 billion and possibly over $3 billon.
The New York Mets sold for a record price of $2.4 billion in 2020. Moreno’s team likely would have fetched more than that.
Moreno surprised many people when he announced he has decided not to sell. The 76-year-old said he feels like he has “unfinished business” with the Angels and is not ready to move on. Most Angels fans are not pleased about that.
Moreno has owned the Angels since 2003. His initial seasons were successful, but the team began to fall out of contention by the early 2010s and have struggled to find success since. The team has not made the playoffs since 2014 despite having two of MLB’s best players in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Moreno’s decisions have contributed to that decline.
