Angels Owner Arte Moreno Reveals Why He Didn't Invest More Money Into Free Agency

The Los Angeles Angels lost on the field last season and are set to lose off of it which is why owner Arte Moreno didn't invest more money in free agency this offseason.

“I was not interested in spending $200 million,” Moreno said. “We needed too many things to spend $200 million.”

Rather than invest in the things the Angels needed, Moreno brought in several inexpensive veterans looking to revive their careers except for starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.

Moreno invested in Kikuchi with a three-year, $63 million deal.

Angels owner Arte Moreno says the team will lose $50-$60M in 2025 due to increased payroll and revenue shortfalls 📉

Despite not investing heavily in free agents, payroll rose from $176M to $202M.

(via @ocregister) pic.twitter.com/z4yZPbcFZK
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) February 18, 2025

Moreno addressed the team's financial situation on Monday before the first day of full-squad workouts, stating that they are projected to finish with a deficit. He explained that the rise in payroll for 2025, along with revenue shortfalls in areas like television, sponsorships, and ticket sales, were factors contributing to the financial strain.

Additionally, Moreno pointed out that the Angels contribute $25 million annually to Major League Baseball's revenue-sharing system, due to being one of the league's largest markets.

Despite these challenges, Moreno did raise the Angels' payroll from $176 million to $202 million, according to Roster Resource, although the team did not sign any of the top free agents available.

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Angels fans love to point the finger at Moreno for the team's recent failures, and for a brief moment, he owned that blame, but quickly passed the blame to the players for not doing their jobs on the field.

“At the end of the day, it’s probably me,” Moreno said. “I can spend the money on (Mike) Trout, but I can’t go in and bat for him. I can spend money on a pitcher, but I can’t tell you how his health is going to be or whether he’s going to keep us in the game or are our guys going to hit?

“At the end of the day, is somebody going to come in here and spend $100 million more? Is it going to make a difference right now? They have to pick the right players and you’ve got to be healthy and they’ve got to play together.”

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Despite not making a postseason appearance in 10 years, Moreno is looking forward to 2025. He's optimistic about the team's young core of players and would love nothing more than to see the playoff drought end.

“I believe ’25 is going to be a fun year to watch these guys play, and some veterans,” he said.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.