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Angels just sent Astros a message after Arte Moreno abruptly sells team to NFL owner

The days of the Angels being afterthoughts in the AL West are probably over.
ByPatrick Creighton|
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Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke raises the Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Los Angeles Angels have been sold to Rams owner Stan Kroenke, adding to the Walmart heir's burgeoning and increasingly successful sports portfolio.
Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke raises the Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Los Angeles Angels have been sold to Rams owner Stan Kroenke, adding to the Walmart heir's burgeoning and increasingly successful sports portfolio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It was nice while it lasted.

Houston Astros fans have been able to dismiss the Los Angeles Angels as inconsequential for a decade. That decade may have just ended.

In a surprisingly swift move, Angels owner Arte Moreno suddenly became a former owner, selling his franchise to Stan Kroenke.

Yes, that Stan Kroenke. 2x Super Bowl champion owner Stan Kroenke, of Los Angeles Rams notoriety. However, that isn't the end of the Kroenke sports empire.

He is also the 2x Stanley Cup winning owner of the Colorado Avalanche. He is the NBA champion owner of the Denver Nuggets. He is the owner of the reigning English Premier League champions, Arsenal. Everywhere Kroenke goes, he wins.

Now, for a record $4B, he is now the owner of the Los Angeles Angels.

Kroenke now becomes the richest owner in MLB, surpassing New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.

MLB deliberately designed it's luxury tax system to include a "Cohen Tax", fearful the new Mets owner wouldn't care about flexing his immense financial muscle to try to bring a winner to New York. He has spent, but hasn't won nearly enough. Now there is another owner who can spend just as much, if not more.

While spending big doesn't equate to winning, it certainly increases the odds. The Angels have been hamstrung by Moreno's strange spending habits. Despite being in the 2nd biggest market, the Angels payroll is below the league average and saddled with major money in injured players and retained salaries. The Angels $172M payroll is below the $180M average payroll, and has over $48M in injured player payroll and nearly $36M in retained salaries. That leaves slightly less than $86M in active player payroll, which is ahead of only the lowly Athletics in the AL West.

Adding the power and pedigree of one of the top owners in all sports, and head of perhaps the biggest sports empire in the world, can only mean one thing: the Angels are about to be on the come up.

The Astros, as well as the rest of the division had better take notice. It's about to get a lot more competitive in the AL West.

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