Stan Kroenke’s ability to set a record sale price for an MLB franchise was probably the most important factor in Arte Moreno’s decision, announced Tuesday, to sell the Angels.

The “SELL THE TEAM” chants and signs didn’t hurt.

Ken Rosenthal reported on the most recent episode of “Fair Territory” that Moreno was far from oblivious to fans’ resentment of his stewardship of the team.

“We all know the atmosphere at the ballpark for Arte Moreno has not been good,” Rosenthal said. “And I talked to someone (Wednesday) who said he had heard from Moreno that, yeah, the negative environment did affect him, and did kind of prompt him to do this now.

“I still would say the price mattered more than any sentiments going on in the ballpark. If he hadn’t gotten $4 billion, it’s not like he was going to sell for $3 billion and not get what he wanted. Once he got the price he wanted, then I would think maybe he thought, ‘OK, enough’s enough. I don’t need this, my family doesn’t need this.’

“So maybe the fan revolt — and it was a fan revolt — had a positive effect on him in terms of compelling him to sell the team. And if so, good for the fans.”

It would have been difficult for Moreno, 80, to ignore the growing sound of calls to sell the team. Perhaps he would have silenced the crowd sooner if he didn’t have to wait to receive an offer to his liking — specifically, one that exceeded the San Diego Padres’ $3.9 billion sale price in August.

There were signs Moreno was relinquishing control of the franchise even before Tuesday’s announcement.

When newly appointed team president Molly Jolly fired Perry Minasian and hired John Mozeliak as interim general manager in June, she did so with complete autonomy. For an owner who famously involved himself in free agent negotiations from Vladimir Guerrero to Albert Pujols to Anthony Rendon, it was a rare step back.

Moreno also retreated from the media spotlight compared to his early years; he last granted an interview in February. Perhaps that reticence reflected the Angels’ struggles on the field as much as his changing future plans.

Regardless, actions speak louder than words. Moreno didn’t have to announce he was exploring a possible sale of the team (like he did in August 2022) to give fans what they had been asking for. He just had to find a buyer willing to meet his price.

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