Aug 23, 2022 3 min read

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno says he is exploring the possibility of selling the franchise.

Moreno purchased the team in 2003, a year after it won its first World Series championship and was known as the Anaheim Angels. He has spent aggressively on aging free agent stars like Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, but the club hasn’t been back to the Fall Classic since he became owner.

Los Angeles is set to miss the postseason for the eighth straight year despite featuring AL MVPs Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. The Angels were 52-70 going into Tuesday night’s game at Tampa Bay.

Moreno, a Mexican-American born in Arizona, is the only non-white controlling owner in Major League Baseball. The Angels are the second MLB team currently for sale, joining the Washington Nationals.

“It has been a great honor and privilege to own the Angels for 20 seasons,” Moreno said in a statement. “Although this difficult decision was entirely our choice and deserved a great deal of thoughtful consideration, my family and I have ultimately come to the conclusion that now is the time.”

Moreno’s announcement comes at a critical moment for the franchise, with Ohtani set to be a free agent after the 2024 season. Trout, a three-time MVP, is signed through the 2030 season on a $426.5 million, 12-year deal. He’s appeared in just three postseason games with the Angels, all in 2014, despite having been the best player in baseball for most of the last decade.

National League

Chicago Cubs 2, St. Louis 0: Javier Assad pitched four scoreless innings in his major league debut and combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Chicago Cubs cooled off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 on Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader.

Michael Rucker (3-1), Sean Newcomb, Erich Uelmen and Brandon Hughes allowed one hit over the final five innings to halt the NL Central-leading Cardinals’ season-high eight-game winning streak. Hughes picked up his third save.

Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki drove in runs off St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright in the third. Rookie Christopher Morel had two hits for the Cubs, who have won six of eight.

American League

Glasnow could return: Tampa Bay ace Tyler Glasnow reached 97 mph while throwing his second live batting practice on Tuesday and hasn’t ruled out returning this season.

Glasnow threw 21 pitches to a pair of minor leaguers before the Rays played the Los Angeles Angels. Glasnow had Tommy John surgery on Aug, 4, 2021. The 6-foot-8 right-hander made his last appearance on June 14 2021, at the Chicago White Sox.

Kopech to IL: The Chicago White Sox put right-hander Michael Kopech on the 15-day injured list with a left knee strain.

Chicago recalled left-hander Tanner Banks from Triple-A Charlotte.

Kopech started Monday’s game at Kansas City but faced only four batters before leaving with knee soreness. He is 4-9 with a 3.58 ERA in 23 starts.