The Angels’ new owner has won everywhere else: Now comes his biggest challenge

The Los Angeles Angels have a new majority owner, and he arrives with a career that few people in professional sports can match.

Stan Kroenke, the billionaire behind the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and Arsenal, has reached an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in the Angels from the Moreno family. The transaction still requires approval from Major League Baseball and is expected to close during the first quarter of 2027.

But the biggest reason for optimism among Angels fans has little to do with the sale itself. Kroenke has owned teams that have won the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup, and Premier League. His sports empire has repeatedly reached the top of its respective leagues. Now comes a different kind of challenge.

The Angels have not reached the playoffs since 2014, a drought that has continued through the 2026 season. The franchise has spent years watching generational talents such as Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani come and go without building a sustained winner around them. Kroenke’s next project is not simply another acquisition. It will be his biggest test yet.

A sports owner accustomed to winning

Kroenke is not new to the championship business. His Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI in 2022. The Denver Nuggets captured the first NBA championship in franchise history in 2023, led by Nikola Jokić. The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice during Kroenke’s ownership era, including their most recent title in 2022.

The Angels’ new owner has won everywhere else: Now comes his biggest challenge Arsenal era una de las grandes deudas que tenía pendientes el dueño Stan Kroenke, misma que logró saldar este martes con el título de la Premier League.Stuart MacFarlane

The success extends beyond the United States. In England, Arsenal won the 2025-26 Premier League title, while Kroenke’s Colorado Rapids won the MLS Cup in 2010. His sports portfolio also includes the Colorado Mammoth, which has won multiple National Lacrosse League championships.

That is the history Kroenke brings with him to Anaheim. And it is exactly why the reaction to Tuesday’s news has been filled with optimism. Even Trout, who played the entirety of his career under Arte Moreno until this point, pointed to Kroenke’s history of success after the agreement was announced.

“Kroenke’s got a track record of success and winning championships with his teams,” Trout said. “I’m super excited about it and can’t wait to meet him.”

The end of the Arte Moreno era

Kroenke’s arrival will bring an end to Arte Moreno’s 23-year ownership of the Angels. Moreno purchased the franchise in 2003, shortly after the club won the only World Series championship in its history in 2002. The Angels enjoyed significant success early in his tenure, winning multiple American League West titles and becoming regular postseason contenders during the 2000s.

The years that followed told a very different story. The Angels have not made the playoffs since 2014 and have not posted a winning season since 2015. Their struggles have been particularly painful considering that the franchise had two of baseball’s most extraordinary players of their generation in Trout and Ohtani but was unable to turn that star power into sustained postseason success.

By the time the sale was announced, fans had spent much of the 2026 season calling for Moreno to sell the team. Now, that wish is becoming reality.

The Angels’ new owner has won everywhere else: Now comes his biggest challenge ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 30: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels walks to first after being hit by a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 30, 2026 in Anaheim, California. Nicole Vasquez/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Nicole Vasquez / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)NICOLE VASQUEZA record price for a franchise in need of a reset

Financial terms have not been officially announced, but multiple reports have put the valuation at around $4 billion, which would make it the most expensive franchise sale in MLB history.

The previous record was the $3.9 billion sale of the San Diego Padres, completed recently. Forbes valued the Angels at $2.8 billion in March.

The purchase will also give Kroenke Sports & Entertainment a presence in yet another major league, adding MLB to a portfolio that already spans the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, the Premier League and the National Lacrosse League. But the Angels may present challenges unlike any of the others.

The franchise’s stadium situation remains unresolved, and Angel Stadium’s current lease runs through 2032, with options that could extend the team’s stay through 2038. Kroenke, however, also brings significant experience in sports and real-estate development after overseeing the construction of SoFi Stadium and the surrounding Hollywood Park complex.

For now, though, the mission is much simpler. The Angels need to become competitive again. Kroenke has already won championships with teams in football, basketball, hockey, and soccer. He has built a reputation around investing in ambitious projects and turning franchises into contenders. Now he inherits a baseball team that has spent more than a decade outside the postseason.

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