And, next year, the Angels will have competition for the Orange County baseball dollar, a few exits down Interstate 5. On Tuesday, the Irvine City Council approved a five-year agreement under which a yet-to-be-named minor league team would play at the sparkling ballpark within the city\u2019s Great Park<\/a>, starting next May.<\/p>\n \u201cWe might not, on certain days, be the cheapest ticket in town,\u201d said Paul Freedman, co-founder of Innovation Baseball Partners, the company for which the Irvine team is the fourth in its portfolio of minor league teams, all based in California and all competing in the Pioneer League, where players are limited to no more than two years of professional experience.<\/p>\n No ticket prices have been announced for the Irvine team. Jamie Rosenberg, another IBP co-founder, told the Irvine City Council that the IBP team in Long Beach charges roughly $10 to $15 for general admission, with a $2 special every Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea is to make this an accessible, affordable entertainment option for the community,\u201d Rosenberg said.<\/p>\n Angels pitcher Reid Detmers throws from the mound against the Houston Astros in front of a sparse crowd Tuesday at Angel Stadium.<\/p>\n (Scott Strazzante \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n On Tuesday, three hours after Rosenberg spoke, the Angels<\/a> played the Houston Astros<\/a> at Angel Stadium. On StubHub, you could buy a ticket for $2.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Angel fans would hope the team gets better and maybe those prices would go up,\u201d Freedman said, \u201cbut what we\u2019re confident in is that we\u2019re going to have a value experience.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday and every other day at Angel Stadium, the Angels proudly display a sign advertising a collection of what the team calls its \u201cfamily value merchandise.\u201d A T-shirt or a cap can be yours for $9.99, and a souvenir baseball with the team logo sells for $7.99.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really focus on a family of four,\u201d Freedman said. \u201cCan a family of four afford a night out?\u201d<\/p>\n The Angels offer a family package<\/a> \u2014 four tickets, four hot dogs, and four drinks \u2014 for $44.<\/p>\n You may remember what Angels owner Arte Moreno said<\/a> in spring training: \u201cThe number one thing fans want is affordability.\u201d<\/p>\n That infuriated Angels fans<\/a>, of course, since their team has baseball\u2019s longest playoff drought \u2014 12 years, counting this one. Freedman says the fans of his teams want affordability too, but he cautioned against stretching the comparison too far.<\/p>\n For one, Trout plays in Anaheim. You can see a future Hall of Famer there all summer, and stars from around the league, and you can see the Yankees and Red Sox and Dodgers<\/a> every year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not ever going to replace the majesty of going to see the Dodgers with Shohei [Ohtani]<\/a> playing,\u201d Freedman said, \u201cbut we can create an environment that\u2019s more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n For two, whatever $2 tickets you might find in Anaheim put you in the vicinity of the top of a foul pole. All the tickets in Irvine put you right behind home plate, because there are barely 1,000 seats.<\/p>\n And, for fun, Freedman and his partners are planning to become the first American team to integrate elements of the Asian fan experience<\/a> into the game presentation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to be doing things you haven\u2019t seen in an American baseball game before,\u201d he said, \u201cand we want to put a fair price on that, one that is reasonable and allows us to operate our business.\u201d<\/p>\n The traditional minor league team operates far from the shadow of a major league team<\/a>. The Pioneer League, for instance, has teams in the California towns of Modesto and Marysville, and in Idaho Falls and Missoula, Mont.<\/p>\n The Irvine launch will be different and challenging \u2014 and, yes, fun. But success depends on paying customers, and nothing attracts customers like a trial offer.<\/p>\n![\"Angels](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785347296_9_.jpeg\")
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