Angels News: MLB Commissioner Issues Statement on Arte Moreno, Status of Team Sale

He didn't seem to be as surprised as the rest of us.

On Monday, Angels owner Arte Moreno shockingly announced that he would not be selling the team any longer. Despite a long offseason of vetting buyers and working through the numbers, Moreno has pulled out, and instead wants to be a part of turning around the franchise he's owned for 20 years.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who earlier this offseason confirmed the sale would happen, released a statement about Moreno's decision to keep the team. Here's what he said:

"Despite strong buyer interest in the Angels, Arte Moreno’s love of the game is most important to him. I am very pleased that the Moreno Family has decided to continue owning the team."

From MLB commissioner Rob Manfred (prepared statement):

“Despite strong buyer interest in the Angels, Arte Moreno’s love of the game is most important to him. I am very pleased that the Moreno Family has decided to continue owning the team."

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) January 23, 2023

There was tons of interest, with at least six buyers linked to purchasing the team. The Angels were expected to break the record for an MLB franchise, going for somewhere around $2.5 billion. But instead, Moreno has decided to keep the team, and work towards getting them back to the postseason.

Here was Moreno's full statement released via the Angels' Twitter:

"During this process, it became clear that we have unfinished business and feel we can make a positive impact on the future of the team and the fan experience. This offseason we committed to a franchise record player payroll and still want to accomplish our goal of bringing a World Series Championship back to our fans. We are excited about this next chapter of Angels Baseball.

"We are grateful to Galatioto Sports Partners for their outstanding efforts throughout the process that allowed us to meet with a number of highly qualified individuals and groups who expressed strong interest in the Club. However, as discussions advanced and began to crystallize, we realized our hearts remain with the Angels, and we are not ready to part ways with the fans, players, and our employees."

So after all that, the Angels will in fact not have a new owner this offseason. It'll be Moreno's team for 2023 and beyond — just in time for Shohei Ohtani's impending free agency.