Rams owner Stan Kroenke has agreed to buy a majority stake in the Los Angeles Angels from longtime owner Arte Moreno for a record-breaking $4 billion, in a deal that comes as Major League Baseball edges towards a likely lockout when its collective bargaining agreement with players expires at season's end. The scale of the purchase is significant because owners have argued that falling broadcast revenues and competitive imbalance justify introducing a salary cap, a demand players have long resisted, yet the price paid for a team with no local television deal and the longest playoff drought in baseball undercuts claims that the sport's finances are struggling.

Moreno bought the Angels for around $180 million from Disney in 2003 and has now sold for roughly $4-4.5 billion, despite the team missing the playoffs every year since 2014 even while fielding stars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. The Angels' sale follows a similarly record-setting purchase of the San Diego Padres earlier in 2026, with neither club benefiting from a local broadcast partner comparable to the Dodgers or Yankees. MLBPA interim executive director Bruce Meyer said the deal demonstrates the "overall health" of the industry and the "huge profits" owners are making, arguing this undermines the case for a salary cap ahead of looming labour negotiations.