Arturo Moreno made all Angels fan’s lives significantly worse on May 15, 2003 when the announcement was made by then MLB commissioner Bud Selig that the sale of the Angels from Walt Disney Company to Moreno was approved by the league.
Before I go on my rant – purchas your Arte is a Clown shirt here.
Since 2003 under Arte’s control, the Angels have made the playoffs 6 times – and currently hold the MLB’s longest playoff drought having missed the postseason 14 consecutive seasons. While he has been “willing” to spend money to make splashes in free agency, he is success rate is well under expectations (more on that momentarily). Along with horrific contracts, refusal to make logical trades to help the franchise, and countless other horrific baseball decisions – he has managed during his tenure as Angels owner to have five general managers and six managers (not including interim). This week he fired general manager Perry Minasian after last week reports came out that the Moreno had no interest in trading the most valuable assets the team has to help build their farm system for the future… gee – I wonder who leaked that to the media (thank you for at least contributing in that sense, Perry).
Arte continues to roll through general managers and managers, as if they are the problem. Maybe you should take a look in the mirror, sir. Since you took over as manager, not only have you been unable to find success on the field, you’ve also ran through 11 different leaders in the front office and club house, you’ve had three different names for the team (Anaheim Angels, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and finally Los Angeles Angels), in which the current team name doesn’t even represent the city games are played in, or even that county as a matter of fact, let alone the residency of a vast majority of your fans (or lack thereof, considering no one prides themselves in being one of your fans).
You want to talk about “business decisions”?
Albert Pujols contract ended up being one of the worst in history by the time it came to an end – but lucky it wasn’t the worst in history because you went and out did yourself with the actual worst by signing Anthony Rendon to a 7-year/$245m contract shortly after you finally got out of Pujols contract. Rendon played 257 games as an Angel during that contract, you paid a guy just shy of a million dollars a game…nice one! And let us never forget the incredible 5 -year/$125m to Josh Hamilton, relapse and injuries are to blame here, but honestly – Arte is to blame regardless. Along with Pujols, Hamilton, and Rendon, some incredible (sarcasm) off-season acquisitions have included:
- CJ Wilson – 5y/75m: Injury ended his career four years into the contract – in those four seasons he posted a 3.87 ERA with one All-Star appearance his first year of the deal.
- Justin Upton – 5y/106m: After trading for him during an All-Star 2017 season, Upton opted out of his contract and resigned with the Angels. He would be released four years into the deal, posting a singular positive WAR season, before playing less than 90 games in the next three prior to his release.
- Zack Cozart – 3y/38m: After his lone All-star season in Cincinnati, Arte decided to give Cozart 12+ million a season… Cozart played 96 games for the Angels over two years, before being traded to the Giants. However, he didn’t just get traded to the Giants – in order for the Giants to take his contract, the Angels also added their 1st Round Pick (Will Wilson) to the deal too. So not only did you waste money on Cozart, you got to waste a first round pick too.
- Gary Matthews Jr. – 5y/50m: Similar to Cozart, after Gary’s singular career All-Star season he was awarded a 10m per year deal by Arte. Matthews’ contract (even at the time) was considered one of the worst in history. In the three years of the deal he actually played, Gary posted a 0.0 WAR (yep). Matthews requested to be traded and was awarded his request – the Angels paid $21m of the remaining $23.5m on his deal. Again, paying guys to play against you since you over paid them so grossly that no one wants to take that money off your hands…solid business transactions.
Other solid moves under Arte – The One-Year Contracts
After 15+ years of repeating his same tactic, Arte shifted gears and began signing has-beens to 1 (maybe 2) year deals to see if they had anything left in the tank.
The following players played 1ish season for the Angels during the Moreno area:
- Matt Harvey ($11m): -0.5 WAR
- Trevor Cahill ($9m): -0.1 WAR
- Drew Pomeranz ($4m): -0.1 WAR
- Tim Lincecum ($2.5m): -1.5 WAR
Trades? Never heard of them
Remember Shohei Ohtani? The greatest player on the face of the planet. Someway, somehow, you convinced him to give us six years of his career, well done. Then, when the time came to possibly trade him to help the team’s future, your self-centered selfish arrogance didn’t trade him, instead you let him walk at the end of the season to the “cross town rival” (not even in the same town or county, again), and now we all get to watch him be great in Dodger Blue. Really hope those extra 30ish games of selling tickets was worth it… but then again, who care’s right?
But, surely, there were other solid trades right?
Like maybe trading Luis Rengifo and a prospect to the Dodgers for Ross Stripling, Joc Pederson, and then that prospect, what was his name? Oh – Andy Pages. You did that right?
Thats righttt – you got “impatient” and told the Dodgers no because you didn’t want to wait for them. That’s right, you acted like a child with his toy. And now Pages is on a 3-year terror, currently putting up a WAR of 4.0 this season, while your outfielders (outside of Trout) combined have a 0.6 WAR on the year… great decision making once again!
How about trading Taylor Ward this offseason for Grayson Rodriguez.
Wait, Grayson Rodriguez, the guy who hasn’t pitched in two seasons? Yep, thats him! and his second IL stint with the Angels this year is currently underway, but his 8.06 ERA won’t be missed… but you know what is missed? Taylor Ward and his 18 doubles, 5 HR’s, and 1.8 WAR (remember all Angels OFers currently combine for 0.6).
But Arte, you 100% have traded pieces at the deadline in recent memory for prospects to help, right?
WRONGO. The Angels farm system currently ranks 28th out of the 30 MLB teams. A MLB team with no future, has a farm system filled with no future either.
Winning Doesn’t matter though…right?
In the beginning of 2026, Arte famously was quoted saying that Angels’ fans do not care about their team winning – they only care about affordability of attending a game. Now, during the season you can take in an Angel game for $6 a ticket, and watch your team lose 26-0… but Hey! Winning doesn’t matter.
Wrong. It does. And just because you haven’t done it during your ownership run, Arte, doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter.
I would pretty much give anything for Arte Moreno to do what the Tarps Off Crew chants in the upper decks of Angels’ home games – “Sell the team”. But he is so stupid and self-centered that it will never happen.
Legacy
You would figure someone who is so concerned with their personal legacy of being the first Latino American MLB owner, you would want to have some sort of positive under that legacy… not be known historically as one of the worst. You could assume anyone in their right mind would want some one to look at any part of their life and think positively of it. Not Arte, he doesn’t know how to run a baseball team, doesn’t know left from right, and nothing is going to change until he – you can fill in this part with whatever you would like.
But then again, that’s just my two cents that ain’t worth a damn. I’m not a billionaire so I can’t buy the team and do what I think will make it better (although I’m pretty damn good at running teams in video games, and thats basically real life), so I will continue to sit on the couch and yell profanities at a TV that are directed at an old man who can’t hear me and doesn’t care about me (or my favorite team for that matter).
Till Next Time,
Trevor
#RepTheHalo
#SellTheTeam
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