The sale of the Angels offers Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken “renewed hope for a massive land deal between the city and the team,” and the “potential that the club might return to using the name of its actual home city, Anaheim,” instead of nearby L.A., according to Sam Blum of THE ATHLETIC. The city of Anaheim’s relationship with the Angels has “been rocky in recent years” under the ownership of Arte Moreno. The strain between city and club began in 2022, when a land deal between two parties for the Angels to purchase the ballpark and surrounding property “fell through amid a scandal”. Former Mayor Harry Sidhu went to prison on corruption charges, and the two parties “never re-engaged on talks.” Anaheim owns the ballpark, which the team has leased through 2032. Before last season, Aitken penned an open letter to the Angels, “pleading for a better partnership, a name change, and more access to inspect the stadium.” The request “seemingly fell on deaf ears.” Aitken is “hopeful that the team’s sale will open a path to a new land deal” with incoming owner Stan Kroenke. Aitken “hopes to sit down with Kroenke in a more official capacity when the deal is approved by owners and the league in 2027” (THE ATHLETIC, 9/1).
TIME OF CHANGE: In California, Victoria Le wrote the change in Angels’ ownership “comes at a time of several moving parts.” City officials are “expecting at ‘year’s end’ the results of a stadium assessment on the 60-year-old Angel Stadium, which could govern next steps, including whether the fourth-oldest MLB ballpark in the country should be built anew or potentially need hundreds of millions in repairs.” The team currently has a lease on the ballpark running until 2032 with the option to extend their stay until 2038 (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 9/1).