Arte Moreno’s Sale Could be Just the Start

Aug 25

Every sports league has one: The uninspired, stodgy, occasionally problematic, sometimes malevolent, mostly inconducive, and almost always a deterrent to winning rather than a product of it.

Major League Baseball is no exemption. And while fanbases could each argue the owner of their team is the "one," no one fits the bill quite like Arte Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels.

What makes Moreno the "one" in MLB isn't a willingness to pinch pennies. Nor is it that the FBI investigated him. Nor is it his unwillingness to speak with the press.

What makes Moreno the "one" is that despite having Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, the owner has failed to build a playoff team, let alone a competitor. Things have gotten so bad for the Halo's this season' that Tungsten Arm' O'Doyle has become a more popular name in the baseball lexicon than any player on the team not named Trout or Ohtani.

Jokes aside, the biggest indictment on Moreno is how far back these failures go. See, the Angels won the World Series in 2002. They beat Derek Jeter's Yankees, a 94-67 Minnesota Twins team, and Barry Bonds' San Francisco Giants in seven games. The Angels were the class of baseball under the ownership of Mickey Mouse.

No, seriously. The owner that enabled the Angels to win baseball's greatest prize was The Walt Disney Company. The owner who took over the season after the championship and stuck the franchise in this primordial limbo is, of course, Moreno.

In the 20 years of Moreno's ownership, the Angels have made the playoffs six times. However, in those six postseason trips, the Angels have made the American League Championship Series (ALCS) just once. Disney did in its four years of ownership what Moreno has failed to in his 20 years. That's what makes Moreno the "one."

The "good" news for Los Angeles, if such a thing exists after two decades of futility, is change might be coming. Moreno announced via press release Tuesday that he's considering selling the team.

"Although this difficult decision was entirely our choice and deserved a great deal of thoughtful consideration, my family and I have ultimately concluded that now is the time," Moreno said.

Whoever inherits the Angels should, in theory, have an easier road than most to reach that promised land, thanks to Trout and Ohtani. But in actuality, things aren't that simple, nor are they guaranteed.

Trout and Ohtani are not just franchise greats. These are baseball greats. Trading one or both would be a stain the size of Saturn on LA. Worse, it'd be an admission that in 12 years with Trout and the five with Ohtani, the franchise could only celebrate their individual successes, not that of the collective.

Yet there are signs that this core the Angels have assembled is prepared to burst. Whether it's because of free agency, injury, or inadequacies in player acquisition and development, Moreno's sale may not be the only one underway in Anaheim.

The cases for trading either Trout or Ohtani are not easy to make. Both players sit in the franchise's top 20 in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), and both players are still in their prime at 31 and 28 years old with no signs of decline. The pair have combined for 12 All-Star appearances, nine Silver Sluggers, three MVPs, two Rookie of the Year awards, and a partridge in a pear tree between them.

Yet there are deeper causes for concern. Ohtani, a pending free agent next offseason, has shown little interest in re-signing with the club. In interviews before the trade deadline, the Japanese import has maintained he's an Angel right now.

While true, this emphasis is troubling. Ohtani is not rushing to negotiate extension talks through the media. He did not express a desire to stay past his current deal. Instead, he used the political answer that conveys he already has one foot out the door.

Comments made last year by Ohtani support that idea, "I like the fans. I like the atmosphere in the organization. But my feelings of wanting to win are stronger."

With these comments in mind, alongside the Angels' eight-year playoff drought, Ohtani's long-term future with the franchise is very much in doubt. They have not and cannot deliver the one thing Ohtani craves above all else. A championship. Moreno's sale could only expedite that process.

As ESPN's Jeff Passan reported, "The Nationals currently are up for sale, and the notion that new ownership's first move would be to trade a future Hall of Famer in his early prime, the executive said, is problematic."

Though not an exact parallel, the same principle applies to Ohtani. Whoever purchases the club does not want to be introduced to fans as the owner who traded Ohtani or stood by as the superstar left in free agency. Sadly for the sake of Angels fans, moving Ohtani could be the final burden of Moreno's tenure.

So could a Trout trade.

On the surface, the idea seems preposterous. At 31, Trout is already ahead of Joe DiMaggio, Ozzie Smith, Paul Molitor, Johnny Bench, and Jeter among all-time WAR leaders. Trading the best player the franchise has ever seen is an inexplicable idea that would leave a new owner without the prize attraction of Anaheim.

And while that's all fair, it's also fair to mention Trout has played 120 games over the last two seasons. He missed most of last season with a torn calf muscle, has faced an IL stint with back spasms this season, and has most recently been diagnosed with costovertebral dysfunction. The back injury could impact him for the rest of his career.

Whether these injuries are directly related or not, Trout's On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) this season is his lowest since 2014. Admittedly, Trout's "worst" season is a .955 OPS, which would be third-highest in the AL if it qualified.

But doubts could arise as the superstar inches deeper into his 30s and his $426.5 million contract. Remember, Trout has been in the Majors since he was 19. He's played in 1,372 games and made 6,005 plate appearances. The wear and tear of that time and the money remaining on his contract could turn Trout more tradeable than ever.

And should he and Ohtani be traded, the Angels could get the largest return in MLB history. A return big enough to rebuild the Angels' 30th-ranked farm system, according to MLB.com, and provide the franchise a future that it desperately needs.

The Angels are a bad team. They're 54-77, 28-56 since May 24 and have failed so miserably in free agency, and the draft Saint Peter has changed the locks on the pearly gates. Things cannot and will not get better for the Angels anytime soon, even if Moreno sells the team. It's a small victory. But before Moreno's ownership is complete, Angels fans may suffer an immense defeat.