Arte Moreno has sold his controlling interest in the Los Angeles Angels to Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Los Angeles Rams, for a reported $4 billion, a record for a Major League Baseball franchise. The announcement came Tuesday, with team president Molly Jolly informing star outfielder Mike Trout of the sale hours before the Angels hosted the New York Yankees.
Trout, who has spent his entire 16-season career under Moreno's ownership, said he sensed a change was needed. "Just a fresh start," Trout said before Tuesday's game. "You kind of felt that way. It was needed. No hard feelings to Arte, but I'm super excited. The guys are excited. There's a good vibe around the clubhouse, vibe around the stadium."
Trout said he called an unnamed member of the Rams to get an opinion on the new ownership, and he liked what he heard. "I know one thing that's going to be on (Kroenke's) mind is getting to the World Series, win a championship," Trout said. "As a player, it makes you feel good to have that and to feel that."
Kroenke, who also owns the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, has a championship pedigree. He has won two Super Bowls as owner or co-owner of the Rams (2000, 2022), an NBA title with the Nuggets in 2023, and two Stanley Cup titles with the Avalanche in 2001 and 2022.
Moreno bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company in 2003, a year after they won their only World Series title. Under his ownership, the Angels finished atop the AL West five times from 2004 to 2009, but they never returned to the World Series. Trout was drafted late in the first round in 2009 and made his only postseason appearance in 2014, when the Angels were swept by the Kansas City Royals.
The Angels have not posted a winning record since 2015 and are currently 53-85, on pace for their 11th consecutive losing season and 12th consecutive non-playoff season, both the longest active streaks in the majors.
Trout, a 12-time All-Star and three-time AL MVP, signed a 12-year, $426.5 million contract in 2019 that includes a full no-trade clause. He has four years left on that deal. He has been limited to 319 games from 2020 to 2024 due to injuries and the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but he is on pace to play more than 140 games in 2026, which would be his most since 2016.
Despite the team's struggles, Trout reiterated that he wants to stay in Anaheim. "Not at all," he said when asked if he would request a trade. "I got four years left on my deal."
Trout also praised Moreno, saying he remains thankful for the opportunity he provided. "He took care of me and my family," Trout said, according to the Orange County Register. "I can't thank him enough."
His teammate, shortstop Zach Neto, also expressed optimism about the sale. "He was always there," Neto said of Moreno, per the Orange County Register. "He attended spring training games, he listened to players. I think it's a positive thing."
Fans at Angels games have chanted "sell the team" this summer, and the sale could signal a new direction for the franchise. However, ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney suggested that Kroenke might be more willing to trade Trout than Moreno was. In an article published Tuesday, Olney wrote that "a new owner is more likely to consider that path than Moreno, who was never going to trade a future inner-circle Hall of Famer and the face of his franchise — and so that could now be a more viable option." Olney added that it's more likely Trout stays, but the possibility remains.
For now, Trout is focused on the fresh start. "I'm super excited to meet him and talk to him and get to know him a little bit and see where it goes," he said of Kroenke. "The track record, it's there."