OT: Los Angeles Angels Talk

[Hockey Duckie]

They should trade Ohtani now, but they won't until Arte milks every cent out of him...I agree until he sells the team they will never get it right because there is no plan

That's where you're wrong. There's an Arte Moreno plan. Arte wants slugging as the big draw and staying below the luxury tax.

Almost a decade ago, Moreno made billions by one signing. He signed FA Pujols to a $250 mil deal for 10-years. Then Arte parlayed that into a 20-year TV deal with then Fox Sports West for $3 billion. A year later, rather than re-sign starting ace pitcher Greinke, Moreno went after another slugger in Hamilton; both wanted $25 mil a year. Years later, the Angels traded for Upton and extended him. Ohtani, the dual threat, chose the Angels b/c he wanted to stay on the west coast and play where there wasn't a prestigious Japanese player in an organization's history. More years passed and Rendon was signed.

Ohtani came on a cheap, rookie-type contract in 2017 off-season. Greinke was traded for in 2012 to avoid losing a 1st round pick if signed as a FA, but Arte chose not to re-sign Greinke. Arte hasn't signed an expensive FA ace or close to ace type starter since CJ Wilson in the 2011 off-season, along with Pujols.

Arte has been giving intentions of acquiring pitchers, ace pitchers, but nothing ever transpires. Remember in 2020 a three-team trade between the Angels, Dodgers, and Red Sox? (Technically, it was Angels-Dodgers trade, but it was waiting on a trade between the Dodgers-Red Sox to finalize.) It was nixed b/c Arte was impatient as the bigger pieces in the three-team trade hit a slight snag.

to Dodgers

INF Luis Rengifo​

prospect​

to Angels

OF Joc Pederson (bats left)​

P Ross Stripling​

prospect OF Andy Pages​

That would have been a good trade for the Angels. Stripling has found his groove. Pages could be used as trade capital.

Arte said again that we'd be in the running for an ace pitcher this past off-season and nothing. His former GM, Eppler, got the ace pitcher in Scherzer b/c the Mets owner was willing to go over the luxury tax threshold.

Here's a good article on Arte's mentality that was written in 2013: Evaluating Arte's first 10-year of ownership of the Angels. Arte's great at increasing the value of the Angels and all he does care about it putting seats in the stands and advertising reach. Profit-wise, Arte's the man! But the article is also saying that his big spending doesn't equate to actually winning. The article is a macro view, but it's a good assessment of Arte and foreshadowing.

Arte wants to feel like a Steinbrenner, but doesn't actually want to spend like a Steinbrenner. It's profits over production for Arte.

Moreno is on his fifth GM, but Arte doesn't think he's the common entity that could be the problem on the field and in the system.

 

[ADHB]

There’s a reason every GM they hire is a rookie GM. Nobody with any credentials is willing to deal with the pain in the ass ownership.

 

[TheGoodShepard1]

There’s a reason every GM they hire is a rookie GM. Nobody with any credentials is willing to deal with the pain in the ass ownership.

Nothing sums up the ownership problem better than John Carpino, who is president of the Angels for no other reason than he was Arte's right-hand man in the billboard industry for 20 years. Not a single baseball man in upper management who can challenge Moreno's authority, just a bunch of yes men; a giant boys' club made up entirely of empty suits.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

There’s a reason every GM they hire is a rookie GM. Nobody with any credentials is willing to deal with the pain in the ass ownership.

It's a resume builder for the young GM's. Dipoto's doing well with Seattle and has a top farm team. Eppler with unlimited monies (which he's used to b/c he was part of the Yankee's front off) is doing very well with the Mets. I guess we're a very good farm team for GM development to be plucked when their service under Moreno is completed.

 

[Deuce22]

It's a resume builder for the young GM's. Dipoto's doing well with Seattle and has a top farm team. Eppler with unlimited monies (which he's used to b/c he was part of the Yankee's front off) is doing very well with the Mets. I guess we're a very good farm team for GM development to be plucked when their service under Moreno is completed.

Arte isn't going to hire an expensive (good) GM. He wants to spend his $$ on splashy free agent hitters and doesn't want any push back from the front office. DiPoto left when Scioscia was ignoring his recommendations and Arte took Mike's side.

 

[Kalv]

Lol at Klingberg thinking he could do ANYTHING against Getzy

Oh shit, that's the wrong thread

 

[Anaheim4ever]

If they Trade Ohtani they better get a teams top4 prospects + other stuff, MLB prospects have such a low rate of panning out compared to NHL and if they do pan out most times they don't become stars.
We likely won't see another Hitter/Pitcher combo as good as Ohtani for 50+ years, so i consider him a generational in the 2way role.

 

[All Mighty]

 

[KelVarnsen]

Oh happy day.

 

[Static]

Thank God

 

[bsu]

Not an Angels fan, but that's good for them.

 

[Gliff]

Very happy for Angels fans.

 

[McDonald19]

Do the Samueli’s like baseball?

 

[jiggsawpuzzle35]

This news makes me happy.

 

[GreatBear]

This is the best news regarding the Angels in years. They have been very difficult to watch lately, and maybe a new owner will actually care about the success of the team rather than about constructing a large property development around the stadium.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Do the Samueli’s like baseball?

They would be the perfect owners of the Angels. Have to wonder if Disney would explore buying them back or new owners like local Irvine company 'Blizzard' (Activision).

Could see the Samuelis allowing the GM to expand the scouting department unlike Arte who downsized it.

 

[Gliff]

They would be the perfect owners of the Angels. Have to wonder if Disney would explore buying them back or new owners like local Irvine company 'Blizzard' (Activision).

Could see the Samuelis allowing the GM to expand the scouting department unlike Arte who downsized it.

As a former Blizzard employee, I wouldn't want any company that has a fiduciary responsibility to share holders to make a profit controlling my sports team. Owning a sports franchise is a passion, not a money making venture.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

This is the best news regarding the Angels in years. They have been very difficult to watch lately, and maybe a new owner will actually care about the success of the team rather than about constructing a large property development around the stadium.

Arte still won with that property development like overpaying for the aging Pujols to land a lucrative TV deal, paying $250 mil to earn $3 billion. It's all about profits and at his direction.

Arte does care about the success of the team, but it's at his behest. He wants to be like a Steinbrenner, but doesn't want to spend like one b/c he loves profits more than losses. The expectations is it's the GM's job to construct a winning program with the players that Arte prefers and go from there while also not going over the luxury tax. Did I already mentioned that Arte made out like a bandit with that Fox Sports West TV deal?

With the two former GMs finding success with their respective teams points to Arte being the common denominator of why the Angels can't even finish above .500 since Dipoto, which was seven years ago.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

As a former Blizzard employee, I wouldn't want any company that has a fiduciary responsibility to share holders to make a profit controlling my sports team. Owning a sports franchise is a passion, not a money making venture.

Blizzard/Activision also has a ton of sexual harrassment scandals too. Would not want them but they do have the money. With them being bought by Microsoft and that deal still to be completed i think that rules them out and i wouldn't want microsoft owning any sports team in any league.

Disney i wouldn't want returning because how Disney has changed but they are way more rich and powerful than when they sold the team.

Lol imagine Blizzard's Overwatch having 'Mike Trout' as playable character.

 

[Rybread86]

This is the first step to turning the franchise around. You want to see a local entity/person buy the team. The Samuelis would be great because they are already investing into the immediate area with the OCvibe, I just wonder if buying the Angels would stretch them too thin. I also dont know how many owners out there own multiple franchises in different sports.

Either way, lets just hope this gets done. A press release like this likely means they havent determined anything yet and want to gauge fan reaction.

#MakeTheAngelsAnaheimAgain!

 

[ADHB]

No way the Samuelis are interested, and fans shouldn't want them either. A big market baseball franchise (after the $2B+ purchase price) requires a $200M+ payroll plus a ton more money spent annually on infrastructure, scouting, development, etc. There is way more involved than with a hockey franchise. After seeing the way they've pinched pennies over the years with the Ducks, the last thing you would want as an Angels fan is similar treatment when 10x more money and assets are involved.

Hopefully the new ownership is local to some degree, but all that really matters is that it's someone with a shit load of money, and passion for the game.

 

[Rybread86]

No way the Samuelis are interested, and fans shouldn't want them either. A big market baseball franchise (after the $2B+ purchase price) requires a $200M+ payroll plus a ton more money spent annually on infrastructure, scouting, development, etc. There is way more involved than with a hockey franchise. After seeing the way they've pinched pennies over the years with the Ducks, the last thing you would want as an Angels fan is similar treatment when 10x more money and assets are involved.

Hopefully the new ownership is local to some degree, but all that really matters is that it's someone with a shit load of money, and passion for the game.

Its all relative though. Baseball brings in more $, more opportunities for marketing and sales. Angels stadium can fit 2-2.5x the amount of people that the Ponda can. Double the amount of games. Then you have all the extra events that happen between games and the offseason. TV deals, profit sharing; its a different ballgame.

I dont pretend to understand their financial situation or how they have built their businesses around the Ducks, but if they bought the Angels too, they own how many square blocks of Anaheim? They now expand their company, get more subsidizes from the city/county to expand, tax writeoffs, etc etc.

They could make downtown Disney look cute in comparison.

Again, no idea what kind of money they have to float, but if they could make it happen financially, there is the potential to make a lot of money.

 

[TheStuntman]

It'd be great for the Samueli's to own the Angels, but as ADHB said, it might stretch them financially. Even if they do own the Angels, they'll probably put a cap on the payroll, but stay out of the way, which would be a massive improvement over Arte. This is a great day for the Angels and the fans as this was a day that many of the fans have been hoping for.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

No way the Samuelis are interested, and fans shouldn't want them either. A big market baseball franchise (after the $2B+ purchase price) requires a $200M+ payroll plus a ton more money spent annually on infrastructure, scouting, development, etc. There is way more involved than with a hockey franchise. After seeing the way they've pinched pennies over the years with the Ducks, the last thing you would want as an Angels fan is similar treatment when 10x more money and assets are involved.

Hopefully the new ownership is local to some degree, but all that really matters is that it's someone with a shit load of money, and passion for the game.

Its all relative though. Baseball brings in more $, more opportunities for marketing and sales. Angels stadium can fit 2-2.5x the amount of people that the Ponda can. Double the amount of games. Then you have all the extra events that happen between games and the offseason. TV deals, profit sharing; its a different ballgame.

I dont pretend to understand their financial situation or how they have built their businesses around the Ducks, but if they bought the Angels too, they own how many square blocks of Anaheim? They now expand their company, get more subsidizes from the city/county to expand, tax writeoffs, etc etc.

They could make downtown Disney look cute in comparison.

Again, no idea what kind of money they have to float, but if they could make it happen financially, there is the potential to make a lot of money.

What other known billionaires is there out there that could afford to buy and maintain the Angels ?
What about an ownership group like the Dodgers and Kraken have ?

 

[ADHB]

My main point is that there is way more involved with operating a baseball franchise. Yes, there's the huge payroll, but to be successful in the modern MLB, you have to put so much into development, analytics, affiliates, minor league staff, foreign staff, etc. Your staff is probably 50x larger than an NHL team. The Samuelis have notoriously been cheap when it comes to development, analytics, off ice staff, etc. And that doesn't even take into consideration the seasons where they wouldn't even spend an extra $5 million on the roster. Hopefully that's changing some with Verbeek coming in and implementing new systems, expanding some departments, etc. but still... the last thing I'd want is an owner who isn't willing to invest what it takes to be successful.

The stadium situation is another disaster in waiting. The Samuelis have it good with their arrangement with Honda Center and the surrounding area. Dealing with a beast like what's happening with Angel Stadium is a huge undertaking. And based on their history, I just don't see them being interested in something like that.