Angels Owner Arte Moreno said that he is "committed to improvements" for Angel Stadium, adding that the team will call the ballpark home through at least '29, according Jeff Fletcher of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Moreno said that "leaving sooner than that -- they have an option they must exercise by October 2018 -- is unrealistic because it takes three or four years to arrange for a new site, including financing and California's environmental impact requirements." The Angels will keep "working with the city of Anaheim on improving Angel Stadium." This year, Moreno said that the club spent about $1.5M on "installing new lights." Asked what other improvements fans could expect to see, Moreno "mentioned things" like paint, concession stands and bathrooms (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/19). Moreno: "We did not want our fans to come to a ballpark that was falling apart. We communicate with the fans. The fans are pretty comfortable about how clean it is and what we try to accomplish" (L.A. TIMES, 2/19).
WINNING MENTALITY: Moreno on Saturday said of the team's prospects for '17, "We’re gonna try to win. We still have some economic flexibility this year. We’ll sort of watch and see what is on the market that may help us in the short term. We feel like we’re gonna be competitive and need to stay healthy." In L.A., Pedro Moura noted "described the process by which he signed off" giving 3B Luis Valbuena a two-year, $15M contract. Also, referencing the reported manner of the signings of 1B Albert Pujols and LF Josh Hamilton, Moreno said, "I don’t sit here and just say, go get this player, or I’m gonna sign this player, or whatever. The press makes it sound like I’m doing that. I’ve never done it that way, because being an owner, managing businesses, if you don’t believe in the people there, right or wrong, you’re never gonna have a good business." Noting that he had "no debt on the team, Moreno guessed that he gave himself the smallest salary of all major league owners." He said, "Really, the last couple of years, we were, economically, trying to push the ceiling. We try to run the franchise with no debt, so long-term we’re not ever in the situation where we have to walk in and say, ‘We need to move players'" (L.A. TIMES, 2/19).
