While the Los Angeles Angels haven’t agreed with Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg on a free agent pact yet, it’s been a positive off-season for them.
First, they landed Joe Maddon to become their new manager. The move was viewed with positive reviews around the league, given that Maddon has a home in Orange County and experience in the American League. Then, Mike Trout won his third AL MVP award.
Now, the organization has announced the Angels will remain in the city of Anaheim until at least 2020.
Full story: #Angels agree to buy Angel Stadium and surrounding land, stay in Anaheim through 2050. https://t.co/myQZ9N5lsa
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) December 4, 2019
From the LA Times article by Bill Shaikin:
The Angels and the city agreed Wednesday on a deal under which a company affiliated with Angels owner Arte Moreno would buy Angel Stadium and the surrounding property for $325 million. The city would not contribute to the cost of either renovating the stadium or building a new one, and the Angels would decide whether to upgrade or replace the current stadium.
Under the deal, the Angels are committed to playing in Anaheim through 2050, with options that could keep them there through 2065. The Angels were faced with a Dec. 31 deadline to opt out of their stadium lease or remain bound to it through 2029.
Obviously, this is great news for Angels fans as well as the sport. Without question, the Angels have prominence in baseball right now because they are the team that rosters the game’s finest player for the foreseeable future in Trout.
Also, there is more positive news to come out of the deal. It’s possible that the Angels will consider building a new stadium. The team has hired HKS Architects, which is the group that advised the Texas Rangers on their new ballpark and the Los Angeles Dodgers on their own stadium renovations.
With the signing of a key free agent or two, this could be one of the best winters in Anaheim in a long time after this news.
