The Los Angeles Angels have not exactly been synonymous with winning over the past decade.
The Angels last postseason appearance came in 2014 when they were swept out of the American League Division Series by the Royals. Their last winning season came in 2015 when the Angels were 85-77, finishing third in the AL West. The Angels have finished fourth or worse in the division seven times in the last eight seasons.
None of that appears to be a concern for team owner Arte Moreno. While he claims he wants to win, he also says winning is not important to the fans, telling Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that, according to a survey the Angels conducted, it ranks not in the top five of fan priorities.
“The number one thing fans want is affordability,” Moreno said, via Fletcher. “They want affordability. They want safety, and they want a good experience when they come to the ballpark. Believe it or not, winning is not in their top five.
“The moms want to be able to afford to bring the kids. Moms make about 80% of the decisions. They want to be able to bring their kids and be affordable and they want safety and they want to have a good experience, so they get all the entertainment stuff or whatever. The purists, you know, it’s just straight winning.”
Los Angeles Angels owner’s comments show how out of touch Arte Moreno is
Moreno’s comments about winning not being important were not the only head-scratching part of the interview. He also said that the Angels want to focus on developing their young talent. Meanwhile, the Angels tend to rush their draft picks to the majors because they are unable to develop them in their minor league system. Subsequently, and in large part because of the Angels’ refusal to spend on the development aspect of their organization, they typically are considered to have one of the worst farm systems in baseball.
Angels fans know that the team is not going to win every time they go to the ballpark. Affordability and safety are certainly important. However, fans want to be able to watch a winning team. Since 2016, the only winning teams Angels fans have been able to watch have been in the other dugout.
Moreno does not believe that Angels fans care about winning. That speaks volumes about one of the fundamental problems in the organization.