Arte is first and foremost a businessman, and thus looking to make a profit. He has certainly done that with the Angels, increasing their value some 400% since purchasing them. His genius is marketing. He changed the name of the Angels to Los Angeles primarily to increase the market share of the Angels in a market dominated by the Dodgers. While I did not and do not approve of that change, the Angels have made moderate gains in the Socal market and have increased visibility nationwide. He is paying Pujols 250 million dollars to continue the overall branding of the Angels and to put people in the seats. Pujols' best years are behind him. He is being paid like his best years are ahead of him. Arte is not stupid. He knows this. Pujols is primarily here for profit margins, his baseball ability comes second. Hamilton is here because Arte believed this was a player in his prime. The Rangers knew better. Arte rolled the dice...and so far, lost.
Arte can say that winning trumps all. The media, and certainly the fans, need to hear this. But his spending decisions don't back that up. The Angels farm system is one of the worst in baseball. They are locked into ludicrous contracts for several years to come. And yes, they lucked into Mike Trout. Who knew? Wilson and Weaver also have long term deals, and both likely will be declining pitchers over the next few years.
Praise Arte for his business acumen. It is well deserved. But on the field, the Angels will have difficulty contending for a championship for years to come. As a fan, who cares what Forbes says about franchise values. Jerry Jones has also increased the value of the Cowboys 4 fold since he bought them. They have won 1 playoff game in 17 years. Winning matters.
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