Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto spoke on the potential new ownership of the Angels, saying that Stan Kroenke’s “reputation as an owner in sports in general is pretty awesome,” according to Jeff Fletcher of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Dipoto was the Angels’ GM from 2011 to 2015. The Angels are “sacrificing a large portion of what figures to be a lockout-shortened winter” by waiting to hire a new head of baseball operations until after the transfer from current owner Arte Moreno to Kroenke is approved by MLB owners. There is “still no timeline for that to happen, but the Angels are hoping it’s sometime before the end of December,” when interim GM John Mozeliak’s contract expires. This week, Kevin Demoff of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment is in Las Vegas meeting with what “seems to be a long, preliminary list of candidates.” There is “plenty of interest, despite the Angels having a 10-year streak of losing seasons and a playoff drought that began in 2015.” One high ranking executive from another team said that he would “love to” hear from the Angels. Twins GM Jeremy Zoll, who worked in the Angels’ front office under Dipoto, acknowledged the Kroenke-run Angels are “poised to be on the upswing.” Zoll said, “Having a team in Orange County, it makes it a premium destination for where players want to go.” Mozeliak added that his colleagues across the sport “aren’t campaigning to him for an opportunity with the Angels, but he nonetheless did his part to sell the job” (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 11/10).
