Shohei Ohtani may arguably be one of the greatest things to happen not only to the sport of baseball, but the entire collective sports consciousness across the globe. His many accomplishments over the last half decade-plus cannot be overstated; 3 All Star nods, Rookie of the Year, an MVP (should be two), Silver Slugger, and a top 5 Cy Young finish as both one of the best hitters/pitchers in the game. His short time in the league thus far has seen him quickly rewriting the limits on what a singular athlete can achieve in their sport. Yet for the Angels organization, namely owner Arte Moreno, Shohei Ohtani has enabled the worst of a perennially out of touch, self-sabotaging owner. A known headline chaser, Moreno’s sole motivation in baseball decisions lies in his desire to curtail the favor of the national media, often leaving the Angels high and dry under the shadow of his ego. Molded in the likes of George Steinbrenner yet lacking the quality of charm that allowed the late Yankee his successes, Arte Moreno stays stuck in the past in an era defined not by free agency acquisition, but by drafting and development. His inability to field a proper team around Ohtani has failed not just Angel fans, nor the entirety of baseball fandom, but the whole of baseball’s in general and its ability to push forward into a new era of true international recognition.

The untold hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars in revenue lost by failing to seize on Ohtani’s presence in the playoffs is a real problem the MLB faces in the current day. Baseball’s international presence has grown into a formidable force over the last decade ultimately culminating in this past years World Baseball Classic craze. The recent WBC saw record shattering numbers as the event cleared previous viewership totals by a large margin. Internationally, both Mexico and Taiwan saw a ratings increase of over 100% from 2017’s WBC with American viewership jumping a total 69% from the last WBC (semi-finals and onward). This immediately translated into a lucrative increase in merchandise sales with the MLB seeing a 149% increase in revenue with WBC merchandise over 2017s financial return. We now stand at a turning point where exists a very real opportunity to emulate the success of FIFA and its international stranglehold by promoting the most marketable asset in MLB history on the biggest non-WBC stage possible. To evolve from a national sports organization into an international arbiter of competition is no small feat, nor is it one you can try again should you come short the first go, making it all the more important for the MLB to get it done right with the chance they have. There exists just one element that holds the MLB back from tapping into this prime source of revenue; Angels owner Arte Moreno.

Moreno's failures to build a playoff winner for Ohtani is a failure by proxy of the MLB. An organization such as Major League Baseball has a responsibility towards ensuring the highest possible quality ownership amongst their franchises. The last decade and a half has seen the MLB free itself of multiple self-sabotaging owners in the likes of Jeffrey Loria and Frank McCourt. While you may never see a league wide benevolence amongst owners there is a duty to pay as much mind to the quality of floor as there is the quality of ceiling amongst franchises. Recent years have made it abundantly clear Moreno's presence within the sport is beginning affect its bottom line due to Ohtani’s lack of post-season presence. Perhaps in previous years it was enough for Arte Moreno to fill the seats of Angels stadium through regular season baseball, but now after experiencing the financial windfalls from the 2023 WBC it’s become clear Major League Baseball cannot fully capitalize on their international marketing campaign without Shohei Ohtani spearheading the efforts. The MLB has seen the World Series turn in historically low viewership totals over the last few seasons, making Ohtani's presence on a World Series contender all the more necessary in this day and age. The Angels recent string of bad luck is only a small part of Moreno's long running failures to capitalize on the sports biggest stars over the last decade. 

Each wound inflicted through the owners poor decision making over the last decade bears it scars still to this day. It is no coincidence the wheels began falling off the wagon once the Angels 2002 World Series talents, both in the front office and on the field, began leaving the organization bit by bit. The Bill Stoneman era of Angels baseball saw the franchise win its first World Series just four years into his tenure as GM, managing multiple playoff appearances up to 2007 before handing off the reigns to a Moreno hire. The last Angels playoff run in 2014 was led by remaining Bill Stoneman holdovers Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar, Jered Weaver, and Mike Scioscia. The Angels have failed to field a consistent manager post-Scioscia and even then the ex-managers later years were defined by stress and tension as the oncoming era of advanced statistics clashed with the former World Series champions old-school sensibilities. Since then the Angels have continuously failed to implement a proper coaching/GM tandem that can consistently deliver a clear, cohesive message without internal fallout. Even now the Angels have seen struggles with GM Perry Minasian and manager Phil Nevin recently coming into light earlier this season over a clash with pitcher usage. The dysfunction between coaches, front office, and players on the field is nothing more than a symptom of Arte Moreno's ownership

Moreno has done little to ensure the continuation of the Angels decade long run that saw the franchise nearly enter a state of dynasty before derailing completely come the 2010s. Nine of the last thirteen Angel seasons have seen the team finish below .500, this stretch coming immediately following a decade that saw the Angels finish under .500 just twice across ten seasons. This organization is far removed from the successes that painted the near entirety of the 2000s with the Angels now standing at the cusp of their long-term future as Ohtani plays out what may be his final season with the franchise. The Angels lone saving grace, beyond the actual stars on the field, has been the recent addition of Perry Minasian at GM, who in just three years has managed to undo a majority of the decade long damage done by Moreno. Shrewd drafting strategies have seen the Angels bring in near immediate big league help through the likes of Zach Neto, Sam Bachman, and Chase Silseth; all drafted within the last two seasons. It’s hard to imagine the Angles being anywhere near arms reach of success were Arte still in control of roster decisions. Would he have it his way the Angels would have blown their checkbook on Trea Turner this past offseason while leaving immense holes all across the board. One can only imagine the state of this team were they to once again go down the Moreno route. 

Is it possible that Angel fans, and by extension fans of baseball in general, may soon be free of Arte’s grasp on the current state of the sport? Logically speaking, he could be moved to sell the team should the Angels make a post-season run in 2023 and retain Ohtani going forward. At this point, however, we all know Arte moves not through logic, but through emotion, making it hard to truly quantify a scenario in which he gives up control. The key factor here not being profit, but control of a valuable asset. Should the Angels lose their value; i.e Ohtani leaves, Trout somehow becomes a non-factor, and the rest of the roster crumbles, then perhaps we do see a scenario in which he sells the team. Given recent behavior by Moreno it seems doubtful the Angels owner would do something logical such as selling the team at peak value considering he turned his back on a near three billion dollar profit on an initial $183.5 million dollar investment back in 2003. A stark display of the ailing business sense that has guided his decision making with the Angels. The state of this team will become much clearer in the coming weeks as the Angels teeter the line between pawnshop sellers and playoff contention, yet between all of that one thing is certain. The Angels, without Arte Moreno, are a World Series championship organization. But with Arte Moreno? The results have spoken for themselves.