TODAY: Shaikin has some more information about the sale, including details of the Angels’ commitment to remaining in Anaheim. The Halos will spend the next 30 seasons in Anaheim “with options to stay through 2075.”
TUESDAY: Anaheim’s city council took a secondary vote tonight to finalize the sale of a 150-acre portion of land that includes Angel Stadium to SRB Management, a company owned by Angels owner Arte Moreno. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported on the council’s initial vote last week, which approved the deal and made tonight’s vote something of a rubber stamp on the project.
The city of Anaheim will receive $150MM in cash in the deal, while the Angels will agree to keep the team in Anaheim through at least the 2050 season and also include affordable housing projects and a community park as part of SRB’s development plans for the land surrounding the ballpark. As well, any development projects will follow “a labor agreement…which provides for union jobs and prioritizes local hiring.”
The deal wasn’t without controversy, however. The city council had initially agreed on a $325MM deal for the land last December, though the housing and park projects will now effectively serve as very sizeable credit in taking that $325MM price tag down to $150MM. Two members of the city council voted against the deal, arguing that SRB should have paid the full initial $325MM since the extra money would have been better spent on projects throughout the city, not solely on the Angel Stadium property.
It now seems all but official that the Angels will remain in Anaheim for years, as the deal includes “language to explicitly limit the Angels’ options to playing in a renovated Angel Stadium or a new stadium that would be built on the adjacent parking lot.” Furthermore, Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu said that the team would be paying for any renovations or a new ballpark in the future, rather than the city.
Yet he doesn’t buy pitching
C’mon, he’s in the top tier of owners who spend. Most fans would love an owner like him.
He’s awful. If he didn’t interfere with his GM then he’d be great.
Just out of curiosity where has anyone actually reported that he interferes?
Josh Hamilton, CJ Wilson, probably Pujols too
I don’t think the CJ Wilson was that bad of a signing (if that’s what you’re saying by lumping him in with Pujols and Hamilton).
He was hurt his last season, but the previous four he averaged 30 starts, 181 innings, and a 3.87 era, along with an all star appreance. I think everyone would take that over four seasons.
CJ Wilson was fine. His first three years he started 98 games and made an All-Star team. He got hurt in year four and still pitched 132 innings.
And he cost 15 million a year. Big Whoop.
He reportedly pushed to trade for Vernon Wells, sign Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton and nixed the Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling trade after the Dodgers put the trade on hold after the Red Sox said they didn’t want to do the original trade with the Dodgers and Twins.
I’m glad he nixed the Joc Pederson/Stripling trade. We have no idea who else the Angels had to give up and those two players are not very good.
And I have no idea about the Wells trade. I have not heard anything on that regard. It was a horrible trade.
LOL. A business owner who wants say on large transactions. I’m far from an Arte apologist, but this is always such a weak statement.
The problem lies in the Angel’s DEVELOPMENT of young pitchers, not in their failed pursuits (i.e. Cole).
You forgot about Gary Mathews Jr. That was another one he reportedly pushed for and was terrible.
Recent story on Arte is pretty accurate: https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2020-09-21/puzzling-lack-of-leadership-arte-moreno-continues-to-haunt-angels
Both Pujols and Hamilton stated they talked directly to Arte, Boras said Arte told him he really wanted Rendon after meeting about Cole, and it has been largely rumored that he pushed Reagins to get Vernon Wells here but that’s just rumor.
Fact is you can love Arte for spending big and criticize much of the spending and be accurate on both sides.
When the Angels signed Hamilton he was one the best hitters in the game. No would can predict the future. As for the constant Pujols bashing. Sure he hasn’t put up the video games numbers that he put with the Cards. But he’s put some solid seasons. He doesn’t get into trouble off the field. He’s mentored Trout and told Trout this your team. Anything you need, just ask.
Justin Upton!!!!
Hopefully they are better at land development.
And when the actual signings were announced I remember everyone being sooo upset that we got those 3…everyone being the fans of the other 29 teams. The Angels have desperately needed pitching but you can’t be upset with an owner that has been willing to shell out the bucks to get marquee players (hit or miss they were at the top their game at the time the Angels acquired them).
While Stripling would be an upgrade to the Angels staff (not everyone’s staff but definitely the Angel’s staff) do you really want Joc Pederson?
The big problem with all of you is that you think that you can just sign every free agent you want, you just have to outbid the other team. Cole was NEVER going to the Angels, he WANTED to be a Yankee.
Puleese some smart person tell me what FA SP the Angels “should” have signed that they were not in on the past 3 years? Come on all you couch GMs.
He spends but not in the right areas. He sees a shiny toy and often gets it, but he doesn’t prioritize pitching.
Too often Moreno spends for PR reasons and not baseball reasons.
Pujols and Hamilton are two examples of such spending.
I don’t think that was his motivation. Going back they had good pitching but couldn’t get the big bat(s). For several years. Arte said he’ll get it done. Now the situation is reversed!
I know for a fact that Pujols and Hamilton were PR moves. I don’t know about Mathews or anyone else.
People forget, in 2011 the Angels finished top 5 in team ERA. But averaged less than 4 runs a game. Trout wasn’t Mike Trout yet. The Angels best hitter in 2011 with runners in scoring position was Mark Trumbo. The Angels desperately needed to add offense. The Blue Jays never wanted Napoli. But every analytic stats said that Hank Conger was a cant miss prospect. The Blue Jays actually wanted Conger, but the Angels refused to trade him. The 2012 Angels should have been a playoff team, but they had no bullpen. Because Jerry Dipsnot Dipoto never understood having a good bullpen was important. Even in Seattle he trades every good reliever.
The BEST PR moves would be to sign pitching. The entire baseball world would take notice if they had some ALL-STAR/CY Young caliber starting pitching.
And then in 2014 he finally gave in and got Jason Grilli and Huston Street. Then look what happened. They didn’t need to lean on their offense anymore and shut opponents down even in low scoring games, and even after losing Richards and Skaggs inside of a week. That’s the one season in the last 10 years any Angels GM has made an effort to solidify the bullpen, and it happens to be their only playoff appearance in that time.
A new home for Mike Trout to not participate in the playoffs
Trout did participate in the playoffs and was terrible. He’s one of the main reasons they didn’t advance.
2014 Post Season – Mike Trout – 12 AB – 1 hit – solo HR – .083 batting average
Was not all his fault Angeles lost all three games.
Mike Trout is a great player, but the problem is the GM is not surrounding him with enough talent in their PRIME.
They need better scouting and player development to go along with money spent on free agents where contact do not go out to age 40.
Mike Trout is the best player I’ve ever seen, and all I’m saying is part of the reason Trout does not have more playoff success is Mike Trout.
2012
Trout missed the first month of the season with a virus, the Angels started 6-14 and finished four games back of a wild card.
2014
The Angels had the best record in baseball.
The Angels lost game one in 11 innings. Trout 0 for 4.
The Angles lost game two in 11 innings. Trout 0 for 4.
2015
The Angels missed the playoffs by one game
Aug 26th Trout rolled over on his wrist attempting to make a catch, he returned Aug 30th. For the next month, Trout hit 210 with a 350 slugging, the Angels went 10-19
And lets not forget this year when he took off for the birth of his son. The Angels played Houston, and the Angels lost 3 of the 4 games he was away and finished 3 games behind Houston for the final playoff spot.
The greatest two days of my life were being present for the birth of my two sons and cutting the umbilical cords. Certainly if the Angeles do not have the depth to withstand missing Trout for three games, they simply do not have enough depth, and it is not Trout’s fault!!! He should not be expected to play 162 games every year at peak performance or be blamed for their failure.
If winning a World Series was the most important factor in his decision making, he would have not extended, but he would have met with the Dodgers and signed with them before they got Mookie Betts. The Dodgers gave similar money to Betts, and would have sign Trout for sure and he probably would not even had to move his home residence…
4WSsince04
I want to be perfectly clear about this. People portray Mike Trout as a victim. He’s not a victim. He’s not powerless.
I’m sick of hearing about “Poor Mike Trout”. Mike Trout is the antithesis of a victim. His lack of playoff success has not been completely out of his control.
You guys all are acting like Yankees’ fans. Trout is the best player in baseball but even he can’t come through every time and the injuries aren’t his fault
Not acting like that at all. I’m acting like Mike Trout is not a victim.
Lack of playoff success ???
His 11 career abs lol
Trout needs to get the hell outta this org, hes way too nice of a guy to ever ask for it though
Human Rain Delay.
Trout is not a snowflake, he’s a man. You think he’s blaming the Angels? I don’t.
He’s the best player I’ve ever seen, but he’s never carried this team in critical situations. He knows that.
He never had that Yaz or Vlad end of the season streak that has closed the deal.
He’s not a victim.
Or just demand a winning product. We as fans should do the same.
Unlike most fans, I love bandwagon fans. I’ll support the team no matter what, but it’s the bandwagon fans that force the management to put a good product on the field.
Bandwagon Angel fans are my friends.
Don’t put all the blame on Trout. It takes a team to win games. Yes he’s the best player in the game. But he comes bat 4 times during the game. He doesn’t make all 27 outs. Blame the players who played his position in his absence.
No one is blaming Trout, But you don’t think he knows what he has done and not done?
No one is blaming Trout??? You gave 4 examples that if he played instead of injuries and what not,they would of won more games.
No one is blaming Mike Trout. Just saying Trout is not powerless. Mike Trout is not a victim.
You don’t think Mike Trout doesn’t blame himself a little bit for some of the things I mentioned? I’d be shocked if he didn’t. Mike Trout is a man, he’s not a crybaby who blames things on other people.
This really puts owner profits and player salaries in perspective. They just bought a ballpark and property for 150m. They have quite a few player they couldn’t sign for that amount that will all be long gone by 2050. Maybe this is will be Artes big signing this offseason and not a pitcher.
I thought the same thing. My first reaction was this is how all sports stadiums should be done from here on out. What the Rangers did to the City of Arlington is a travesty. But that’s an entirely different topic. The $150M is huge for the city. Yet it’s about the same amount of a contract for an above average player. Crazy to think about it that way.
It’s been a few years since I’ve lived in the area. Is that massive tent city still next to the stadium?
Funny you ask- I live elsewhere but jogged around the stadium Saturday night. Astonishing how it’s changed. A ton of really high-end apartment complexes all over and upscale restaurants. So different now, in a good way.
And they moved the tent city a year or so ago.
I remember when none of that was there and Cinemadome was down the river and Stadium Drive-In was across the river. And I’m only 40. Cue the orange grove stories.
I use to have season tickets and parked next to the fire station so I didn’t have to pay for parking. I drove by the Drive-In every game.
Haha the good ‘ol days! When we didn’t all get parking tickets!
The Cinemadome is no longer there? Too bad. Jim Abbot first start I bought tickets at the box office and went to the Cinemadome and saw Major League.
The Angels got destroyed, but man it was a great day.
They were removed before last season. Orange County sheriffs cleaned them out.
They’re now in Santa Ana and parts of Irvine.
They actually gave hotel vouchers to the homeless to use in city’s like San Clemente. Effectively saying the homeless problem is now San Celementes problem.
Irvine s actually drops its bums off a mile away from the BIg A still – My best friend works for Irvine PD
The key to their success is the name. Go back to Anaheim, they won it all when they were Anaheim. They were only Anaheim for 1-2 years.IIRC.
They were Anaheim from 1997-2004, so 8 years. Not very long. A World Series title and one division title as Anaheim. Five of the 8 years were winning seasons. Not too shabby.
While the 2002 Anaheim Angels won the WS, the 2001 and 2003 Anaheim Angels were among the worst teams in baseball. Prior to 2001 as well.
The name was also critical to Disney’s plan of claiming the Angels were a small-market team, deserving of the financial breaks the teams in KC, Tampa, etc, received. “Anaheim Angels” is as low-rent and impoverished a name as one would expect for a small-market team. Call it the California Angels (also a terrible name) or Los Angeles Angels and the expectations ratchet up quickly.
“Anaheim Angels” is a horrible name. Let it remain buried in the past.
It’s still a better name than the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, though.
Agreed. Thank God that name is gone too.
No one is blaming Trout??? You gave 4 examples that if he played instead of injuries and what not,they would of won more games.
You just failed Marketing 101.
This just in: the land needs TJ surgery.
LOL
Badass funny!
metsking, that statement is more true than you think. Ha.
The Angels sold their soul to Anaheim for 150 mil. I guess spirits even have price tags.
Uhh… the Angels bought something
This makes no sense. Unless you mean Anaheim sold its soul to Arte for a bargain $150M. If you knew the area, it’s a win-win because the area needs some sprucing up just as Disney is doing on the East half of Katella.
One of the worst owners in sports.
Maybe they will change their name back now.
Or maybe they will tag on a few more…
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Orange County located in California.
You know how many teams would have to change their names to where they play? Hell the Giants and Jets don’t even play in the same state
Although, contrary to popular belief, the Rays are NOT one of those teams, as St. Petersburg is indeed by Tampa Bay (while the city on the opposite side is just called Tampa).
So they got it for a third of the price and some housing projects? Wonder what kind of materials are going to be used on said projects
Surely most of the discount was based on the value of the land beneath the affordable housing and proposed park(s), as well as the construction cost of said parks.
That said, there are administrative and compliance costs and prevailing wage requirements on affordable housing construction to which “the market” usually assigns a premium of at least 20% over the per-unit cost of purely market-rate housing.
Can they please knock the “Los Angeles” out of the team name now? Seriously dumb.
Why do people constantly complain about the Los Angeles name for the Angels? They were originally the LA Angels going back to their PCL days and original MLB name. Anaheim is what like 40 miles from LA? Just look at the SF 49ers. They play now in Santa Clara right next to San Jose. They are at least 50 miles from San Francisco. Please get over it.
Played in LA from the 1890s to 1964. Had the interlocking L and A logo the Dodgers now sport for decades before they moved here.
I’m not a fan of the name. I’d never live in LA. But I understand it.
Dallas Cowboys, NY Jets and Giants, Atlanta Braves, the list is long of teams that don’t play exactly in the city but claim the overall media market.
Smart business move that could generate more revenue for the team. That aside, Angels need Bauer and Stroman. The latter may not have pitched this season but he’d be a good fit in Anaheim. Also enough vets to keep him in-check. He needs leaders around him.
It’s bizarre that a team that never wins has so much money. Kudos to those fans
Bizarre? Never wins? Besides numerous seasons in the playoffs, the Angels are the only SoCal team to win a World Series this century. For comparison, how much have the Dodgers spent in the last 20 years and they haven’t won anything since Reagan was in office?
Credit where due— The owner pays for the stadium upkeep, not the taxpayers!
city of anaheim does not need more low income residences around the angels stadium. this area needs more tax-producing entities so that the city can help the citizen.
Right ! The bum tent cities is about as low income as it gets across the freeway! The cities of Irvine and Newport literally drive the bums from their city and drop them off a mile away from the Big A
2 concerns: 1-Required to build “affordable” housing projects around the stadium. 2-Required to hire union workers for development projects.
They should be able to build housing based on the market, not based on socialism. They should be able to hire who the want based on the bids that come in, not based on labor unions.
Otherwise, I’m glad they are staying put for the next 30 years.
They are getting a massive discount on the land in exchange for those concessions. Those terms were negotiated not mandated. Arte was free to refuse those requests and seek a different deal. That’s how capitalism works.
Thanks JJ. I’m not concerned about how those two components of the deal came to be. Just that they are part of the deal. That will be a high dollar rent district that will be subsidized by the tax payers of our once great state.
tell that to las vegas raiders. their stadium is built by union members.
“Affordable housing.” Curious what that price will be in LA.
Anaheim and Moreno’s real estate development team likely to follow the Income Limits analysis provided by HUD.
“Low” income is defined as 80% of the median household income, which for a family of four living in Orange County this year equals $102,450.
Affordable housing in this context is anything that costs 30% of a given household’s monthly income per month or less, so housing intended for those earning a “Low” income would cost approximately $2,500 per month.
He pushed for Vernon Wells when Carl Crawford left him at the alter
OK, but can the stadium site pitch?
This is one of the ugliest ballparks you will ever see-
A literal eye sore to the freeway, and dont even get me started on the parking lot thats about as big as the smallest 3 states in the U.S
Then you have the bum tent cities located about 3/4 mile away from home plate that house hundreds of bums at any given time
they are people just like you or l. most fell in the hard times. a lot of them also are veterans who couldn’t/didn’t get proper care for their ilnesses.
You’re wrong on all 3 counts