Kroenke Buys Angels for Record $4B, Inherits TV Network and Stadium Uncertainty

Stan Kroenke is acquiring the Los Angeles Angels for $4 billion, according to reporting by Front Office Sports and CBS Sports. The deal surpasses the San Diego Padres sale of $3.9 billion and stands as an MLB record, per CBS Sports. The sale is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027 or early next year, per CBS Sports. Kroenke, 79, already owns the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, Denver Nuggets of the NBA, Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, Colorado Rapids of MLS, and Arsenal of the Premier League through his holding company, per CBS Sports. Every one of Kroenke's major pro sports teams has won a league title under his ownership: the Rams won Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, the Nuggets were NBA champions for the 2022-23 season, the Avalanche were NHL champions for the 2021-22 season, and Arsenal won the English Premier League for the 2025-26 campaign, per CBS Sports. As part of the acquisition, Kroenke is purchasing Angels Broadcast Television (ABTV), the regional sports network, according to Front Office Sports. He is also acquiring KLAA-AM, the Angels' radio broadcaster, per Front Office Sports. Angels broadcasts are led by Wayne Randazzo, Mark Gubicza, and Erica Weston, per Front Office Sports. KLAA-AM game announcers are Mark Langston and Terry Smith; they have not been traveling to Angels road contests since the COVID-19 pandemic started, per Front Office Sports. ABTV airs the NHL's Kings and has distribution deals with Spectrum, DirecTV, and Cox, per Front Office Sports. The network was rebranded from FanDuel to ABTV in May, per Front Office Sports. The Angels were one of nine MLB clubs to sever ties with Main Street Sports Group in early February, per Front Office Sports. After the Angels severed ties, Moreno bought out Main Street Sports Group's 50% interest in FanDuel Sports Network West, per Front Office Sports. The ABTV network is in transition, and Kroenke's media operations have faced distribution challenges. Kroenke's Altitude Sports & Entertainment, which airs the NBA's Nuggets and NHL's Avalanche, had a contract dispute with Comcast that kept the network off that carrier for five and a half years until reaching a new deal early last year, per Front Office Sports. Kroenke developed SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, per Front Office Sports. He is creating a mixed-use project in Woodland Hills anchored by the Rams' headquarters and training facility, per Front Office Sports. Angel Stadium, MLB's fourth-oldest ballpark trailing only Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodger Stadium, is largely surrounded by surface parking, per Front Office Sports. Moreno previously sought to acquire the publicly owned Angel Stadium as part of a more expansive mixed-use development, per Front Office Sports. The Angel Stadium agreement collapsed in large part due to a corruption investigation of then-Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu, per Front Office Sports. Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken told The Athletic (as reported by Front Office Sports): "I'm very hopeful that [Kroenke is] going to want to work with the city to come up with a really innovative development plan that would benefit the residents. Youth sports fields and housing, and potentially hotel development." Mike Trout, the Angels' 35-year-old future Hall of Famer and three-time MVP, is under contract through 2030 as part of a 12-year, $426.5 million contract extension signed in 2019, per Front Office Sports. Trout is owed almost $150 million through the 2030 season, per CBS Sports. Trout was drafted by the Angels with the 25th overall selection in 2009 and has earned 12 All-Star selections, per CBS Sports. Only once during Trout's 16-year MLB career have the Angels made the playoffs, per CBS Sports. The Angels were swept by the Royals in the ALDS in 2014, per CBS Sports. The Angels have not won a postseason game or series since 2009, per CBS Sports. At the time of the sale announcement, the Angels had clinched their 11th straight losing season with a record of 53-85, per CBS Sports. The Angels have not reached the postseason since 2014, per Front Office Sports. Trout said the ownership transition "was needed," per Front Office Sports. When asked if the ownership change affects his desire to remain with the Angels, Trout said "No, it doesn't change" and added "I got four years left on my deal. I'm excited," per CBS Sports. Trout called an unnamed Rams player after hearing the news of the pending sale to get his take on Kroenke and received a positive review, per Front Office Sports. Trout said of Kroenke: "What a track record. Wherever he buys, he wins," per Front Office Sports. Of the new ownership, Trout added: "The biggest thing is getting that winning culture back and having that vibe in the clubhouse. It's needed for a fresh start. I'm super excited to have this change," per CBS Sports. Trout has repeatedly batted away calls to waive his no-trade clause, per CBS Sports. Arte Moreno, 80, has owned the team since 2003, when he purchased the Angels from the Walt Disney Company for $180 million, per CBS Sports. Moreno's purchase made him the first Mexican-American owner of a major franchise in U.S. sports history, per CBS Sports. The Angels won the World Series for the first time in franchise history months after Moreno's purchase in 2003, per CBS Sports. The Angels made the postseason in five of six years starting in 2004, per CBS Sports. Moreno's free agent signings included Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Anthony Rendon, Justin Upton, and Gary Matthews Jr., which CBS Sports characterizes as dubious and some of the worst from the club standpoint. The Angels have had seven managers since 2018, per CBS Sports. John Mozeliak is the current interim general manager and is the sixth head of baseball operations under Moreno, per CBS Sports. Manager Kurt Suzuki is on a one-year contract, per CBS Sports. Zach Neto and Reid Detmers are arbitration-eligible, per CBS Sports. Yusei Kikuchi is under contract for $21.2 million in 2027, and Robert Stephenson has a $2.5 million option that seems likely to vest, per CBS Sports. Trout has re-established himself as a high-worth performer in 2026 after a pattern of decline, per CBS Sports. The Angels currently rank 17th with a competitive balance tax payroll of less than $200 million for 2026, per CBS Sports. The 2026 White Sox are cited as a recent example of how quickly a rebuild can bear fruit in MLB, per CBS Sports. The Angels topped three million fans in 17 straight seasons from their 2002 championship campaign going into the COVID-compromised 2020 season, per CBS Sports. Kroenke relocated the Rams from St. Louis after the 2015 season, per CBS Sports. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is proposing to pool and split all local media rights evenly across the 30 teams as part of ongoing labor negotiations, per CBS Sports, which would undermine Kroenke's ability to leverage ABTV as an independent revenue stream.