Mike Trout has no interest in leaving Anaheim. The three-time AL MVP said Tuesday he remains committed to finishing his contract with the Los Angeles Angels, and word that Stan Kroenke is buying the club from Arte Moreno only strengthened that resolve.
"I'm excited," Trout said. "Look, the track record — it's there." Trout, under contract through 2030, said the energy around the franchise shifted the moment Kroenke's purchase became public. "Seeing the reaction from the fans and some of the guys and the whole vibe, I think it was needed for a fresh start."
Kroenke's purchase carries a reported $4 billion valuation, a record for an MLB franchise. Forbes lists Kroenke's net worth at $24.3 billion, slightly above New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, currently baseball's richest owner. It is nearly five times Arte Moreno's estimated $5 billion net worth.
Kroenke's sports portfolio is extensive. His Rams have appeared in two Super Bowls since returning to Los Angeles in 2016. His Colorado Avalanche have won two Stanley Cups. His Denver Nuggets won an NBA championship. His Colorado Rapids won an MLS Cup, and Arsenal F.C. — also in the Kroenke portfolio — won a Premier League title. Trout pointed to that record when explaining his enthusiasm. "The biggest thing is getting that feeling of getting that winning culture back and having that vibe in the clubhouse," he said.
The Angels are deep into a front-office transition that predates Kroenke's arrival. In early March, team president Molly Jolly replaced John Carpino, who retired after 23 years largely serving as a liaison to Moreno. Jolly moved quickly. Near the end of June, roughly four months into her tenure, she fired general manager Perry Minasian and hired John Mozeliak as his replacement.
Mozeliak learned about the potential sale from Moreno around the time he took the job, but the official news still caught him off guard. He was in his office Tuesday morning when Jolly walked in, dropped a folder on his desk and told him his day was about to change. "I think it's exciting for everybody," Mozeliak said. "Change is what I came in to try to start doing. I wasn't thinking it would be at the very top, but we've certainly been working our way through the organization."
Since becoming GM, Mozeliak has traded players under team control, replaced the Angels' pitching coaches and reshaped the front office structure. The work continues regardless of ownership. "We now know there's going to be new ownership here, and as far as our day-to-day jobs, we're going to keep doing what we're supposed to do and keep working toward the future," he said.
Several decisions await as the offseason approaches. Mozeliak must settle on a permanent manager — currently Kurt Suzuki on a one-year contract — and name a head of baseball operations. Mozeliak's own contract runs through the end of the calendar year, meaning new ownership or Mozeliak himself will need to resolve his future once Kroenke's group formally takes over.
Kroenke's group is not expected to complete the transaction and assume control until the first quarter of next year. That timeline puts most of the Angels' offseason decision-making in a holding pattern at the top, even as Mozeliak continues running the baseball side.
For Trout, the transition carries weight. He is 16 major-league seasons in and has reached the postseason once, a three-game sweep that ended without a win. He has never advanced past the wild-card round. At 34, with six years left on his contract, the window to change that remains open but not indefinitely. A new owner with Kroenke's financial firepower and competitive record signals the Angels intend to do more than manage decline.
