Stan Kroenke Agrees to Buy Los Angeles Angels From Arte Moreno in Reported MLB-Record Deal
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has agreed to buy the Los Angeles Angels from longtime owner Arte Moreno in a deal reportedly worth an MLB-record price, closing Q1 2027.
Stan Kroenke is now the owner of a team in every major North American sports league. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment announced Tuesday it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire controlling interest in the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno, ending a 23-year ownership tenure that began with promise and ended with the longest active postseason drought in Major League Baseball. The deal, expected to close in the first quarter of 2027 pending MLB approval, reportedly set a new record for the sale of a baseball franchise.
Moreno, 80, bought the Angels from The Walt Disney Company in 2003 for approximately $180 million, becoming the first Latino owner of a major North American professional sports franchise. He inherited a roster fresh off a World Series title and rode that momentum to five American League West division championships between 2004 and 2009. But sustained success never followed. Despite generational talents like Mike Trout and, later, Shohei Ohtani, the Angels have not reached the playoffs since 2014 — a stretch that includes the current 53-85 record that has the club sitting fourth in the AL West.
A Record-Setting Price Tag
No financial terms were disclosed by either side, but early reporting suggests the transaction eclipses the $3.9 billion the San Diego Padres fetched earlier in 2026 — a sale that had itself set the previous MLB record. Forbes valued the Angels at $2.8 billion as recently as March, and multiple outlets now peg the Kroenke deal north of that figure, potentially approaching $4 billion. For a franchise that hasn’t sniffed October baseball in over a decade, the price underscores just how much the Los Angeles market and MLB franchise values in general have appreciated. Bettors weighing the Angels’ long-term outlook can track how the futures market reacts to the ownership change through updated DraftKings promo code offers as division and World Series odds shift heading into next season.
In a statement, Moreno struck a reflective tone. “The Moreno Family has been honored to steward the Angels for 23 years,” he said, “and we believe with KSE’s experience and success they are the best next owner for the franchise.” Kroenke, for his part, called the team’s future “exciting” in the joint announcement. The sale comes roughly four years after Moreno briefly explored a sale in August 2022, only to pull back and retain the club five months later.
Kroenke Now Owns a Team in Every Major League
The acquisition makes Kroenke the first owner in history to hold controlling stakes in franchises across all four major North American sports leagues simultaneously. His portfolio already included the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, all housed under the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment umbrella alongside other holdings that reportedly include a stake in Arsenal FC and ties to the Premier Lacrosse League. Adding the Angels completes a set that few billionaires in sports have ever assembled, and it hands Kroenke direct influence over baseball operations in one of the country’s largest media markets.
The timing added a strange footnote to the news cycle. Hours after the sale was announced, the Angels snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 10-1 rout of the New York Yankees. Vaughn Grissom drove in four runs, Mike Trout delivered a two-run single, and rookie right-hander Walbert Ureña turned in seven strong innings to anchor the win. It was a rare bright spot in what has otherwise been a lost season, and one that Angels fans will now watch play out under entirely new ownership for the first time in over two decades.
What Comes Next
MLB approval remains the primary hurdle before the sale becomes official, a process that typically involves vetting from the league’s ownership committee and a vote from fellow team owners. Barring complications, the transition is expected to be finalized by the start of the 2027 season, giving Kroenke and his front office time to evaluate the current roster, coaching staff and long-term direction of a franchise that has churned through disappointment despite generational talent on the payroll. For a fan base that has watched a decade-plus playoff drought stretch on with no end in sight, new ownership represents the first real reset button in 23 years — whether that translates into a return to contention remains the multibillion-dollar question hanging over Anaheim.