Angels Won't Be Among Highest-Spending Teams, Says Owner Arte Moreno

The Los Angeles Angels have consistently maintained a payroll that ranks above average in Major League Baseball, but they have not positioned themselves among the highest-spending teams.

Owner Arte Moreno appears comfortable keeping the Angels' payroll below that of the sport’s biggest spenders, opting instead for a more moderate financial strategy. This decision allows the team to remain competitive without entering the luxury tax territory.

However, it has also prevented his team from being competitive.

Moreno wants to change the narrative and it began in a phone interview with the Southern California News Group on Saturday.

“The teams that are spending the money they’re spending, they’re losing a lot of money,” Moreno said. “Not a little bit of money. They’re losing a lot of money. And some teams are selling equity to keep their payroll up.”

The Angels really didn't spend any money once they lost out on the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, not that Moreno was willing to offer the superstar a contract like the Los Angeles Dodgers did.

This season, the Angels reduced their payroll by approximately $40 million, bringing it closer to the luxury tax threshold. A significant factor in this reduction was the removal of Ohtani’s $30 million salary from the books.

Moreno has indicated that the Angels plan to increase spending in 2025 compared to 2024. However, he also noted that the spending levels would not reach the heights seen in 2023. This strategic approach reflects the team's efforts to remain competitive while managing their financial commitments.

“We won’t go there again,” Moreno said. “It’s just an automatic loss. If I start piling up (financial) losses, then the next year I’m going to cut.”

Moreno took a chance on closer Robert Stephenson as his prized offseason free-agent signing but that backfired when he missed the season due to an injury. The season went downhill after Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout spent more time on the injured list than on the field.

The result was a 99-loss season, the most in franchise history.

“I hate to say it’s a terrible year because we had so much growth with our young people,” Moreno said,“but from wins and losses, it was a terrible year. Obviously, the worst year.”