Angels Surviving Tough Economic Times

Angels owner Arte Moreno told reporters Wednesday that the poor state of the economy won’t hurt his organization in its effort to remain competitive.  Mike DiGiovanna filed the story for the Los Angeles Times.

"I have a lot of money invested, and I don’t want to be in a position where every three years I have to sell off players because we’re losing too much money," Moreno said.  "A couple of these owners are moving players. We’re not in that position, and I don’t want to be. Our plan is to be successful and to manage it that way."

The Angels’ 2009 payroll currently sits at $117MM, down from the $125MM mark they set in ’08.  Moreno isn’t anticipating a serious drop in attendance this season, so the club would seem to have some room in the budget for an in-season acquisition. 

Then again, Chone Figgins and John Lackey are eligible for free agency at the end of the year and will be seeking lucrative long-term contracts.