Angels' 100th Loss Closes the Darkest Chapter in Franchise History

Today the Angels hit two notable milestones in franchise history. They lost their 100th game for the first time. They also played their final game under the ownership of Arte Moreno. Those two facts are deeply intertwined and provide a perfect cap to Moreno's disastrous run as owner.

Losing 100 games despite breakout performances by Reid Detmers and Walbert Urena is no easy feat. Especially when the team got All Star production from Zach Neto and finally found a quality leadoff hitter in Wade Meckler.

It took a horrific bullpen and complete lack of depth combined with bad coaching and poor in game strategy. 100 losses is a clear indicator of a franchis that has failed on every level. In other words, it perfectly describes the last decade of the Arte Moreno era.

Hitting Rock Bottom: The Tragic Milestone Anaheim Saw Coming

The Angels horrible stretch in April put the team on track to lose 100 games. In fact, the first mention of the likely century mark in losses on Angels on SI came all the way back on April 29th. Like every recent iteration of the Moreno Angels the team had too many holes in the lineup and no reliable relief arms to hold a lead. In recent years the Angels had managed to lose 99 and 98 games so being just a tad bit worse this year and getting to 100 is hardly a suprise.

Consider the Angels leader in saves until the last two weeks of the season was Jordan Romano with 4. And Romano was released in April. The fact the Angels saves leader, Ben Joyce, finished with a grand total of 5 proves just how horrible this team was. Perry Minasian's complete failure to build a bullpen likely hastened his departure but and way emblematic of the Angels last half decade.

While the bullpen takes the brunt of the blame, the Angels led the league in strikeouts for a second consecutive season and ranked among the worst defensive teams in all of Major League Baseball. Being bad at all three phases of the game is a great way to lose games, and the Angels lost 100 times.

How the 100-Loss Season Caps Decades of Arte Moreno's Failed Philosophy

Perry Minasian was a first time general manager when he was hired as the Angels. He replaced a first time GM who replaced another first time GM who replaced an internal promotion with no executive experience. None of the quartet had the size and scope of support that is common in baseball and all had to deal with Moreno skimping on player development at every turn.

Not surprisingly, when bad hires get limited support they fail. And when the team fails to invest in its farm system the farm then fails to produce quality talent. These are the hallmarks of the Angels under Arte Moreno.

Why did Minasian need to sign the disatrous duo of Romano and Drew Pomeranz? Because he did not have adequate arms on the farm despite spending the entire 2021 draft class on pitchers. Why did Yoan Moncada get another chance at third base? Because the Angels did not have an internal replacement.

Needing to fill a dozen holes at the big league level due to a complete lack of a farm system was common for the Angels under Moreno. Then, faced with a huge talent shortage, Moreno would buy inexpensive free agents to patch up the team then be left puzzled as to why this strategy failed time and agein.

Why the second tier free agents? Because Moreno loved to blow the budget on massive busts like Vernon Wells, Josh Hamilton, and Anthony Rendon then hamstring his GM on payroll.

What this combination led to was the Moreno Angels being blessed with the prime of Mike Trout and a minimum wage Shohei Ohtani who could not be surrounded by enough talent to reach October baseball. Two superstars were never given a legitimate chance for success because Moreno had blown the budget then refused to extend himself into luxury tax territory.

Turning the Page: Why a New Era Offers Real Hope for the Angels

Arte Moreno will go down in history for buying the defending World Series champions and running them into the ground; ultimately leaving with his tail between his legs and the indignity of a 100 loss season.

Stan Kroenke is the polar opposite of Moreno. He has bought multiple sports franchises, installed competent front offices, then won titles. He bought the Denver Nuggets at a low point and turned them into a consistent playoff team and ultimately the 2023 NBA Champions. He bought Arsenal and embarked on a years long rebuild that culminated in the 2025 championship. Look no further than the Rams to see another championship team owned by Stan Kroenke.

Arte Moreno publicly stated the fans do not care about winning. Kroenke only talks about building winners. The two could not be more opposite.

While nobody knows exactly what the future holds for the Angels under Kroenke it is obvious he will not install is unqualified college buddies as president and chairman like Moreno did.

At heart Kroenke is a real estate developer who owns sports teams. But the two have significant crossover. He understands that both require a competent architect, commitment to a plan, and a solid foundation. In baseball that means a significant front office investment and talent pipeline through the minor leagues.

Turning Around A Battleship

It takes a long time to turn around a battleship, but the first moves are being made. John Mozeliak kickstarted a true rebuild and the farm has more talent now than in years. It looks like Kroenke was pulling some strings before the sale was finalized, but we will never know.

100 losses sting, especially for the players in the locker room. But for Angels fans this shoud symbolize the failure of Arte Moreno along with hope for brighter days. It seems as though Angels fans now know what rock bottom actually is so they can look for improvement. It took team Arte years to finally do it, but they lost 100 games on their way out the door.

Now it is time for Team Kroenke to push for a 100 in the win column.

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