The Los Angeles Angels didn’t just lose games—they lost Mike Trout’s faith, and that’s a disaster money can’t fix. Arte Moreno’s reign has turned a team with generational talent into a cautionary tale of wasted years, and now the MLB Players Association is calling it what it is: organizational malpractice. When the best player of his era stops believing, it’s not just an Angels problem—it’s an indictment of ownership that has failed the sport itself.

The Los Angeles Angels have been on the downfall for the past few years. Their handling of the market has been abysmal. They have lost some great players like Shohei Ohtani, Noah Syndergaard, and Andrew Heaney. They still have Mike Trout, but even he seems to be frustrated with the Angels’ front office.

Before 2020, the Los Angeles Angels were one of the top spenders in the market. They made some good buys during that time. But they have not shown any interest in winning since then. And the main problem is how Arte Moreno has handled the business in the last few years. This has not only frustrated Mike Trout but even the MLBPA director Tony Clark is not happy.

Clark said, “They have decided as an organization to treat it as a cap. And are making decisions against that backdrop. It’s unfortunate, particularly when they have an opportunity in the market that they are in.”

But the problem is that the Moneyball method doesn’t work every time. And it has not worked for the LA Angels for some time now but the front office seems to have forgotten about that. And the money they have spent has been reckless, the biggest mistake being the Anthony Rendon contract after letting Ohtani go.

Even though they had a payroll of $167.9 million in 2024, they had a win-loss record of 63-99. This was the worst in franchise history.

If spending $167.9 million for a 63-99 record isn’t rock bottom, then what is? The Angels have turned financial recklessness into an art form, mismanaging both talent and payroll with stunning consistency. Unless drastic changes are made, the Angels will remain exactly what they’ve become: a masterclass in how not to run a baseball team.

Angels owner Arte Moreno does not agree with the MLBPA

Arte Moreno disagreeing with the MLBPA is about as surprising as the Angels missing the playoffs—again. The longtime owner refuses to acknowledge the mess his franchise has become, doubling down on the same decisions that turned a team with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani into an afterthought. Denial might be comforting, but it won’t fix years of front-office blunders or bring back the stars who saw the writing on the wall before he did.

After the MLBPA president criticized the Angels for treating the lux tax threshold like a salary cap, Arte Moreno doesn’t agree, “That’s his opinion, and we don’t agree with it.” While Moreno is busy justifying his answer, many of the fans have started to call him out. But the fact that the Angels have only finished the season over the luxury tax once in Moreno’s 22-year tenure as owner begs to differ with his answer. And this was in 2004.

The projected payroll for the 2025 season is $202 million, which is up about $25 million from 2024, is still well behind the threshold of $241 million.

Moreno can dismiss the criticism all he wants, but the numbers tell a different story—one of an owner who talks big but spends small when it actually matters. Until the Angels start acting like a team that values winning over excuses, fans will keep calling out what they already know—this isn’t a commitment to contention, it’s just business as usual.