The sale of the Los Angeles Angels marks the latest transition of a major professional sports franchise in 2026. Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Los Angeles Rams, has acquired the baseball team, according to an announcement made by his firm on Tuesday.
Confirming the transaction on Tuesday, the Angels shared Kroenke’s statement expressing anticipation for the franchise’s “exciting future.” The departing owner, Arte Moreno, released a statement of his own, reflecting that his family “has been honored to steward the Angels for 23 years.”
The finalization of the transaction is projected for the early months of 2027. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, his holding company, chose not to reveal the financial details of the acquisition. Earlier in March, Forbes had estimated the franchise’s valuation at $2.8 billion.
According to reports from The Athletic, the purchase price reached a historic Major League Baseball record of $4 billion. This surpasses the previous benchmark established earlier in 2026 when the San Diego Padres were acquired for $3.9 billion.
This acquisition represents another major disruption in the Southern California sports scene, occurring mere weeks following Mark Walter’s sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to an investment coalition spearheaded by Bob Iger and Josh Kushner.
Alongside these two franchises, ownership transitions have also occurred in 2026 for the Padres, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Seattle Seahawks.
Arte Moreno’s Tenure in Los Angeles Comes to a Close
This divestment concludes a largely underwhelming period of ownership under the 80-year-old Moreno, who made history as MLB’s first Latino majority owner. He originally bought the franchise from the Walt Disney Company for $180 million back in 2003.
The initial years showed promise, with the franchise—riding the momentum of their World Series championship—clinching postseason berths in five of Moreno’s first seven years at the helm. Following a four-year dry spell, they returned to October baseball in 2014, only to suffer a first-round sweep. Since that appearance, the Angels have failed to return to the playoffs, marking the longest ongoing postseason drought in baseball.
Although Moreno demonstrated a consistent eagerness to invest capital, his strategy of signing high-profile superstars frequently yielded poor results. While Vladimir Guerrero’s signing prior to the 2004 season proved highly successful, subsequent blockbuster acquisitions—including Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Anthony Rendon—did not replicate their prior success, frequently burdening the team’s payroll.
These various contracts coincided with the ultimate paradox of Moreno’s leadership. The organization drafted Mike Trout in 2009 and brought him up in 2011, kicking off nearly a decade where he reigned as the premier talent in baseball. Yet, despite having a generational talent, the franchise reached the playoffs only once during his peak years, resulting in that quick exit in 2014.
As Trout’s peak years began to wane, the team successfully recruited dual-threat phenomenon Shohei Ohtani. Yet, even with both generational stars on the roster, the Angels were unable to secure a postseason appearance. Moreno ultimately failed to retain Ohtani in free agency in 2023, allowing him to sign with the cross-town Los Angeles Dodgers, where he quickly captured consecutive World Series titles.
Stan Kroenke Expands His Vast Sports Empire
Stan Kroenke is a highly recognizable figure within the landscape of professional sports ownership. In addition to his stewardship of the Rams, his portfolio features ownership interests in the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and the Colorado Mammoth lacrosse team.
His teams have achieved immense competitive success, secure in two Super Bowl victories with the Rams (acting once as minority partner and once as primary owner), a pair of Stanley Cups with the Avalanche, an NBA title with the Nuggets, and an MLS Cup victory with the Rapids. Adding an MLB championship would complete the sports world’s equivalent of an Infinity Gauntlet.
Rebuilding the Angels into a championship contender presents a significant challenge, given that the team has not posted a winning record since 2015. While there are promising young contributors on the roster—such as Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel in the lineup, along with starting pitchers Reid Detmers and Walbert Ureña—the squad still appears to be a long way from contention, even with Trout delivering his strongest performance since 2022.
Many of the franchise’s persistent struggles have been blamed on Moreno, who reportedly intervened directly in negotiating several underperforming contracts and faced public disapproval regarding the maintenance of team facilities.
Should Kroenke commit to funding substantial infrastructure improvements and allow front-office professionals to make personnel decisions, it could steer the Angels back toward success. Having demonstrated this hands-off, well-funded management style with his other franchises, his approach could soon make the Angels a respected competitor once again.
