Arturo “Arte” Moreno remains the sole owner of the Los Angeles Angels nearly 23 years after buying the team, and he is now overseeing the franchise’s most aggressive rebuild in that span. In early August 2026, his front office traded seven major league players for nine prospects, a move that followed months of fan protests demanding he sell the club.
Arturo Moreno is a Mexican American billionaire businessman who owns the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball. He built his fortune in outdoor advertising, sold his billboard company for billions in 1999, then bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company in 2003, becoming the first Mexican American to own a major U.S. sports franchise. His net worth is now estimated at near $5 billion.
Early Life and Path to Business
Moreno was born on August 14, 1946, in Tucson, Arizona, the oldest of 11 children in a family of Mexican immigrants. His father ran a small print shop, and his grandfather founded Tucson’s first Spanish-language newspaper. After high school, Moreno was drafted into the U.S. Army and served during the Vietnam War. He later attended the University of Arizona on the G.I. Bill and earned a degree in marketing in 1973.
Moreno entered the outdoor advertising industry and joined the billboard company Outdoor Systems, eventually rising to the positions of chief executive and president. He took the company public in 1996. In 1999, Infinity Broadcasting acquired Outdoor Systems for roughly $8.3 billion in stock, a deal that formed the foundation of Moreno’s wealth.
Buying the Angels
In 2003, months after the Angels won their only World Series title, Moreno purchased the franchise, then based in Anaheim, from Disney for about $184 million. Major League Baseball approved the sale in May 2003. In 2005, he renamed the team the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to broaden its marketing reach across Southern California, a move that drew a legal challenge from the city of Anaheim.
Under Moreno, the Angels won multiple American League West titles and made several postseason appearances in the mid-2000s. He later signed marquee players including Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Forbes now values the franchise at roughly $2.75 billion.
A Prolonged Postseason Drought
Despite the star power, the Angels have not made the playoffs or posted a winning record since 2014, the longest active postseason drought in MLB. Ohtani left as a free agent after the 2023 season, adding to fan frustration over the team’s direction.
Moreno’s plans to build a new stadium also stalled. A 2020 agreement to buy Angel Stadium and surrounding land from Anaheim for roughly $325 million collapsed in 2022 after an FBI corruption investigation led to the resignation of the city’s mayor.
In August 2022, Moreno said he would explore selling the franchise. He reversed that decision in January 2023, citing “unfinished business” in building a competitive team.
Fan Backlash in 2026
Tension between Moreno and Angels fans intensified through 2026. In a February state-of-the-team address, Moreno said affordability mattered more to fans than winning, remarking that winning was “not in the top five” priorities, a comment that drew criticism from the players’ union and fan base. He also said regional sports network disruptions had cost the team more than $50 million over two years, affecting payroll decisions.
Moreno maintained he had no plans to sell. “I really like being an owner,” he said in February 2026. “Age is a factor, but I am not considering selling the team.”
By spring, fans were organizing protests outside Angel Stadium and chanting “sell the team” during games, pointing to the franchise’s sharp rise in value since 2003 as evidence Moreno could exit profitably. Columnists at major outlets argued that Moreno had failed to deliver on promises made over two decades of ownership and called for new leadership.
The 2026 Front Office Shakeup
Moreno’s organization made significant changes mid-year. The team fired general manager Perry Minasian and hired veteran executive John Mozeliak as interim general manager on a short-term contract, with team president Molly Jolly leading the hire and serving as Mozeliak’s primary point of contact rather than Moreno himself.
At the August 3 trade deadline, Mozeliak dealt seven major league players, including starting pitcher José Soriano, outfielder Jo Adell, reliever Ryan Zeferjahn and reliever Brent Suter, in exchange for nine prospects. The headline addition was 20-year-old shortstop Arjun Nimmala, ranked among the sport’s top 50 prospects. A day later, the club designated veteran outfielder Jorge Soler for assignment.
Mozeliak described the deadline as a step toward a long-delayed rebuild and said he had received strong backing from ownership to make the moves. He has not committed to remaining with the team beyond his interim role, and Moreno has made no long-term front-office commitments, with a possible labor lockout looming in 2027.
Business Interests Beyond Baseball
Outside the Angels, Moreno holds stakes in other billboard advertising companies and commercial real estate across the Phoenix area, where he lives. A firm connected to Moreno purchased a parcel of Phoenix land for $11 million in 2026, part of his continued investment in the region. He is married to Carole Moreno, and the couple has three children. The family supports education and youth programs in Arizona and Southern California through a family foundation.
Where Things Stand
As of August 2026, Arturo Moreno remains the Angels’ sole owner despite sustained pressure from fans and media commentators to sell. The franchise has pivoted toward rebuilding through its farm system after years of costly, unsuccessful attempts to win immediately. Whether that approach eases fan discontent will depend on how the newly acquired prospects develop and whether ownership follows through on a genuine long-term rebuild.
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