Angels' future is bright after Arte Moreno sold in same year as trade deadline fire sale

The vibes surrounding the Los Angeles Angels have shifted dramatically in the last month. The 2026 season was over, and they were going to sell at the MLB trade deadline. But unlike previous years under Arte Moreno, the Angels actually did sell.

It might not seem like much, but seeing the Angels actually sell was a huge breath of fresh air. The impact of a sell-off was incredible, as the future was already starting to look brighter than it had for a while. But things got even better when Moreno sold the team.

With Moreno selling the team to Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke, the Angels' future took a turn for the better. That, combined with what Andy McCullough of The Athletic graded as an "A" trade deadline one month later, means the Angels' future is looking bright.

Angels might finally turn the corner with two sell-offs in one month

"Trade deadline report card: A," McCullough writes. "John Mozeliak earned raves for his work at the deadline. His ability to move players under team control beyond 2026 allowed the farm system to restock."

Selling at the deadline was a huge change in the vibes surrounding the Angels, as they didn't just ship off a veteran on an expiring contract, like they still did with Kirby Yates. They also sold controllable players as well.

Chase Silseth, Logan O'Hoppe, Jose Soriano, Brent Suter, Jo Adell, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Yates were all dealt this summer by the Angels.

They got some truly intriguing prospects and big-league-caliber players in return, in the kind of deadline this Angels team has needed to make up for dating all the way back to when they didn't sell Shohei Ohtani at the 2024 MLB trade deadline.

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The very productive deadline for the Angels, which got an "A" grade one month after the fact, combined with Moreno selling the team to Kroenke, has made for a major positive shift in vibes surrounding the future of this team.

While the 2027 season, and most likely the 2028 season, will still be works in progress, beyond that, there is finally a future worth getting excited about, with Moreno set to leave and the productive trade deadline likely bearing fruit.

It might be too late to get Mike Trout back to the postseason before he retires, but compared to how things were looking before the deadline fire sale and the sale of Moreno, things are looking significantly more promising now than ever before.

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