“The Angels are a storied franchise anchored in a great market. We look forward to an exciting future with the Angels organization.”

That was Stan Kroenke’s message following the latest change to the franchise. In fact, this season has been one of significant change for the club. Longtime club president John Carpino retired, and Molly Jolly came in. Then, in early June, manager Perry Minasian was dismissed, with John Mozeliak taking over. So when Arte Moreno sold the franchise after saying he wouldn’t do so during spring training, most were shocked. But as of now, the ownership shakeup is a reality, and things will unfold as Kroenke decides the franchise’s next steps.

“New Angels owner Stan Kroenke plans to build a new $2.5B ballpark to replace Angel Stadium,” B/R Walk-Off quoted Forbes in the X post. 

The Angels announced the sale of the franchise for an MLB-record $4 billion. This will mark the end of Arte Moreno’s 23-year tenure as owner, with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment set to take over. The transaction is still awaiting approval from Major League Baseball, as well as a review and vote by the owners. Although the deal is expected to close by the first quarter of 2027, it seems Kroenke is already making plans.

Angel Stadium first opened on April 9, 1966, with an exhibition game between the Los Angeles Angels and the San Francisco Giants. Today, it is one of the oldest stadiums in MLB. That’s why Bloom highlighted the problems with the Big A, particularly its aging infrastructure, which he believes needs to be replaced rather than repaired. However, a New York Post article highlighted that Kroenke is only buying the franchise and not the land.

The city of Anaheim owns the stadium and the surrounding land, approximately 152 acres in total. The team operates there under a lease that runs through 2032.

Notably, Anaheim previously approved a sale of the site for $320 million in 2020 to an entity controlled by the Arte Moreno family, but a corruption investigation involving former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu foiled those plans in 2022. Reports suggest that any future sale of the site would attract intense scrutiny.

But here’s where things get interesting.

Kroenke isn’t just the owner of teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and Denver Nuggets. He is also a real estate investor who built the SoFi Stadium for the Rams, and he perfectly understands how one stadium can anchor something much larger than just a sports team. The Rams’ ballpark is now the biggest part of the massive Hollywood Park development that includes housing, retail, entertainment, and offices, among other revenue-generating establishments. 

That’s why Vincent Bonsignore of the NY Post suggests that Kroenke might exercise the two three-year extensions on the stadium lease, extending it through 2038. Alternatively, he could negotiate a separate long-term lease agreement with the city to fulfill his plans. 

Bloom reiterated that the Angels will remain in Anaheim, and some fans even admitted that if the new ballpark were to be anything like SoFi, they would be fully on board with it, just like their biggest star has been with the ownership change.

Mike Trout is excited about a fresh start

As soon as the news of the sale hit the market, the reporters got Trout on the mic and asked for his thoughts on the latest update, and he promptly said:

“I mean, you kind of felt that way. It was needed.”

The 35-year-old has been with the Halos since his MLB debut in 2011. He played in the 2014 World Series but has yet to win a ring in his career. There has been some speculation that the face of the franchise could be willing to opt out of his contract. The fans’ chants of “sell the team” only fueled that speculation.

But the 12-year, $426.5 million deal he signed runs until 2030, and the 12x MLB All-Star made it clear that Moreno’s departure doesn’t have any impact on his loyalty to the franchise. 

“I got four years left on my deal. I’m excited. Look, the track record, it’s there,” he told the reporters. 

While Trout emphasized that he has no hard feelings against Arte Moreno, he wholeheartedly welcomed the change in ownership, saying:

“I’m super excited. The guys are excited. There’s a good vibe around the clubhouse, vibe around the stadium, and we’re all excited.”

Kroenke’s arrival is already generating a lot of optimism for the Angels, and hopefully, the plans for a new stadium will intensify it.