ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout expressed a desire to remain with the Los Angeles Angels, a franchise suddenly in transition. The three-time AL MVP said Tuesday that longtime owner Arte Moreno’s sale of the team to Kroenke Sports & Entertainment brings a change that “was needed.”

“No hard feelings with Arte,” said Trout, “but I’m super excited. The guys are excited. There’s a good vibe around the clubhouse, vibe around the stadium.”

Trout has spent his entire 16-year career with the Angels, a period that has coincided with one of the worst stretches in franchise history. The Angels have not made the postseason since 2014, the longest active postseason drought in the majors, and have not won a playoff game since 2009, two years before Trout reached the majors.

This year’s Angels are no different. They fired general manager Perry Minasian in late June and clinched an 11th consecutive losing season last month. Their new aim under interim general manager John Mozeliak and first-year manager Kurt Suzuki (whose contract runs through this season) is avoiding the club’s first 100-loss campaign.

Trout, the face of the franchise, has nonetheless been clear and direct about his desire to remain in Anaheim. In 2019, he agreed to a 12-year, $426.5 million contract extension, which was a record at the time. Throughout, he has voiced a belief in Moreno’s ownership and highlighted the relationship they have.

The arrival of Stan Kroenke, whose sports empire includes the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Premier League’s Arsenal, among others, brings with it ballast. Kroenke’s decision to purchase the Angels at a record $4 billion valuation has not impacted Trout’s plans to remain in Southern California.

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“It doesn’t change,” Trout said. “I’ve got four years left on my deal. I’m excited. Look, the track record, it’s there (with Kroenke). Super excited to meet him and talk to him and get to know him a little bit and see where it goes.”

The remaining four years and $141.8 million on Trout’s deal includes a no-trade clause. Trout has appeared in 119 games for the Angels in 2026, the first time he has played in 100-plus games for a second consecutive season since 2019, the year he last won an MVP award.

After shifting to right field and designated hitter for much of 2025, Trout has returned to center field this season, staying healthy and earning his 12th trip to the All-Star Game. He had 20 home runs to go with an .807 OPS entering Tuesday night’s game.

Trout said he has not spoken to Moreno, who purchased the franchise in 2003 shortly after the team’s only World Series championship. The 23 years since have been marked in many ways by Moreno’s penchant for pursuing big-name stars. Moreno himself helped broker Trout’s extension in March 2019, when he met the superstar alone after a spring training game and expressed his desire to sign Trout for the long term.

Moreno’s tenure has also seen the franchise break away from several of the sport’s norms when it comes to spending on the margins, including player development. Investments in big-name stars did not pan out, including a seven-year, $245 million deal for Anthony Rendon that had to be restructured and will end after this season, with Rendon playing just 257 games for the franchise and none since 2024.

Trout, whose Angels tenure has included seven managers and five heads of baseball operations, will now be playing under a new owner for the first time.

On multiple occasions over his seven-minute session with reporters, Trout called it a “fresh start.”

“Just a fresh start and a new mindset, maybe, just to change some things,” Trout said. “It’s obviously been frustrating the last, I don’t know how many years it’s been, but just to hear the news like this, I’m super excited to have this change.”