Stan Kroenke reaches deal to buy LA Angels

Stan Kroenke agreed on September 1 to buy a controlling interest in the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno, ending Moreno’s 23-year run as the club’s owner if Major League Baseball approves the deal. The Angels and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment said the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027. Financial terms were not disclosed in the official announcement, but ESPN reported the sale price at $4 billion. Arte Moreno will remain a minority owner with an undisclosed share, according to MLB.com. The sale comes after Moreno explored a sale in 2022 and then decided to keep the team, and after he said during spring training this year that he had no interest in selling at that time. ### Who is actually buying the Angels? (mlb.com) Kroenke Sports & Entertainment said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Angels’ controlling interest from the Moreno family. Stan Kroenke already controls the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, and ESPN said his sports holdings also include the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and Arsenal in English soccer. (mlb.com) Stan Kroenke said in a statement released by the Angels and KSE that the club is “a storied franchise anchored in a great market” and that his group looks forward to the team’s future. Moreno said the Moreno family believed KSE’s “experience and success” made it “the best next owner for the franchise.” ### What do we know about the price and timing? (mlb.com) ESPN reported the Angels are being sold for $4 billion. If that figure holds, it would exceed the $3.9 billion price ESPN cited for the Padres sale that MLB owners approved in August. Neither the Angels nor KSE disclosed a price in their announcement. The Angels said the transaction is expected to become official in the first quarter of 2027, pending Major League approval. (mlb.com) That means the deal still must go through the league’s ownership review and approval process before control changes hands. ### Why is Moreno selling now? Moreno bought the Angels in 2003, and MLB.com said the sale would end a tenure that included six division titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2014. (espn.com) The club has not posted a winning record since 2015, and MLB.com said the Angels were 53-85 and tied for the worst record in the American League at the time of the announcement. (mlb.com) The 2026 season has also brought front-office turnover. John Carpino retired as club president earlier this year, Molly Jolly replaced him, Perry Minasian was dismissed in June, and former Cardinals executive John Mozeliak took over as interim general manager through December, MLB.com reported. ### What changes immediately for the Angels? (mlb.com) John Mozeliak said the sale news was a surprise but added that “change is what I came in to try to start doing.” MLB.com reported that neither Mozeliak nor Jolly had communicated with KSE immediately after the announcement and that both said day-to-day operations would continue as usual for now. (mlb.com) Mike Trout’s future, payroll decisions and the search for a permanent general manager are likely to draw attention, but no new baseball-operations changes were announced with the sale. ESPN said Kroenke’s level of involvement with the Angels “remains to be seen,” framing that as an open question rather than a settled plan. (mlb.com) ### What happens next in the sale process? Major League Baseball must approve the transaction before it closes, and the target date is the first quarter of 2027. John Mozeliak’s interim contract runs through December, according to MLB.com, leaving the Angels with a pending ownership review and an unresolved front-office structure over the next several months. (mlb.com) (espn.com)