Arte Moreno's Silence is Saying An Awful Lot

The one time the Angels owner spoke to the media this off season was a disaster. In the question and answer session Moreno stated winning is not in the fans top five priorities and that it cost too much money to win. He later went on to say payroll could increase once a new TV deal was in place.

Thus far Moreno has said nothing to walk back those comments nor done anything to improve the team despite launching a new TV network in addition to Angels.TV.

The lack of a follow up session is proof Arte believes his comments.

In today's media age we are used to seeing public figures make public apologies. Many are half hearted at best and most are written by a public relations expert on their staff. They vary from essentially saying "that came out wrong" or "I was misquoted." Neither has happened here.

There's also the tone deaf and laughable "I'm sorry if I offended anybody" which is a nice way of saying "I'm not sorry for what I did/said only that you took offence to it." Angels fans haven't even gotten that.

No, Arte said what he said and he has not said anything further. Ticket prices are low, there are some tasty food options added to the menu and they expanded the Pac Man zone in center field for the kids; conveniently where parents can't see the game action.

There's no reason to apologize for saying exactly what you meant to say.

A new TV deal but no investment in the team.

"Will it get back to $200 million? Probably. We have to get the TV thing worked out and we just have to improve our brand. "
Arte Moreno

By the time the Angels worked out their TV deal the free agent market was picked pretty bare in most areas. However, there were a couple of old friends still on the free agent market who could be of help. The Angels rotation lost 300 innings of solid work when Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks left following the 2025 season.

Counting on the oft injured Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah to fill those innings was foolish at best. Manoah has been miserable in the Cactus League and is now hurt. Rodriguez injury late in camp opened a second hole in the rotation.

The best way to improve the brand is to improve the win/loss record of the team. Instead, a payroll that is $80 million lower than last year's stayed the same even after a TV deal was announced.

A great way to improve the brand is to lock fan favorites in for a long time. The Angels did not even float a contract extension by Zach Neto. It would be wise to do so while the cost is still reasonable.

Even the Angels.TV rollout was a disaster.

Early advertisements for the Angels.TV service touted it would carry Cactus League games. When I purchased the package that language was on the page. Yet the team changed course and did not air any Cactus League games.

An owner who cared about fans would at least have his team send a half hearted apology email or perhaps credit a token amount of the subscription. But, no, not Arte's crew.

Hopefully the payroll cut and full ownership of Fanduel Sports West add up to a more marketable team. It would be a dream if Arte would sell the team. Until then the team will have an owner who thinks fans don't care about winning or paying money under false pretenses.