Los Angeles Angels could see big changes with new owner

With word coming out on Tuesday that the Los Angeles Angels have begun the process of finding a new owner, thoughts immediately turned to how that big change might impact the team in the near future.

According to a statement from the team, Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno said that “now is the time” for the team to kick the process of changing ownership into high gear. However, while the process of finding a new owner might have begun, the statement said that Moreno and the current top tier of the Angels would “continue to run the franchise in the best interest of our fans, employees, players, and business partners.”

Moreno bought the Angels in 2003 for $184 million. The franchise is now valued in the neighborhood of an estimated $2 billion.

So how would a sale of the Los Angeles Angels shake up the franchise?

First, it depends on how soon any kind of sale would take place. Reigning American League MVP Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to be a free agent before the 2024 campaign and there are already rumors swirling about if his future involves an Angels uniform or not as well as if the team would actually trade him. Ohtani’s presence with the Angels in the future would come with a high price tag, and whether the Halos can afford it or not (with massive contracts already on the books for Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout) is a big question.

However, a new ownership group could see the value of having Ohtani as a draw and open up the payroll even more, a big move for a franchise that has never had a payroll exceeding $183 million as ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan pointed out in this tweet.

Despite having Trout on the roster since the 2011 season, the Angels have made the postseason just one time (a 2014 ALDS loss to the Kansas City Royals) during his 12-year MLB career. Could a new ownership group invest more into the team and could that investment turn into more wins?

While the Los Angeles Angels will not see a change in ownership soon, the clock is certainly ticking on just how much time there will be for new blood at the top to make an impact with Ohtani and Trout still on the roster.