Why didn’t the Angels match the offer from the Dodgers that Shohei Ohtani ultimately accepted? Because Arte Moreno didn’t want to.

Why did the Angels blow $245 million on Anthony Rendon? Because Moreno said so.

Why didn’t the Angels finalize an agreed-upon trade in which they would have received Andy Pages from the Dodgers? Because Moreno didn’t want to.

Why did the Angels invest $240 million in Albert Pujols or $125 million in Josh Hamilton? Because Moreno believed in them.

Almost every major decision that resulted in the Angels missing the postseason for the last 11 years can be traced back to Moreno.

Under Moreno, the Angels’ most important decision maker wasn’t the general manager.

It was the owner.

The anticipated change in this dynamic is the primary reason the Angels will have a chance to return to prominence once Stan Kroenke officially takes over as the team’s owner. Kroenke, who owns the Rams, has agreed to purchase a controlling share of the Angels from Moreno.

Judging by how Kroenke operates his other sports teams, expect baseball decisions to be made by baseball people rather than a super fan who happened to become wealthy enough to buy the team.

Unlike Moreno, Kroenke is not a micromanager.

Kroenke is what a sports team wants in an owner. He trusts the people under him to do what they were hired to do and provides them with financial support.

Which is why head coach Sean McVay is the most important person on the Rams. Or why manager Mikel Arteta holds that distinction with Arsenal of the English Premier League.

In football or soccer, a franchise’s vision is often provided by the head coach or manager. In baseball, the vision comes from the head of the baseball operations department.

But former general managers Jerry Dipoto, Billy Eppler or Perry Minasian were never granted the level of autonomy McVay and Arteta have received from Kroenke. 

McVay was the driving force behind the Rams’ trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Arteta played a similar role in Arsenal’s acquisition of midfielder Declan Rice. 

Moreno stuck the Angels with Pujols and his massive contract, then tasked Dipoto, Eppler and Minasian to work around that mistake.

“But I would say this on Arte’s behalf,” interim general manager John Mozeliak said. “He cared about this team as much as anyone.”

The problem with Moreno wasn’t that he didn’t care. 

The problem was that he cared too much and couldn’t resist making decisions he lacked the expertise to make.

His temper further complicated the situation.

“I get too pissed off to be on Instagram,” he once said.

While the joke demonstrated a measure of self-awareness on Moreno’s part, it wasn’t a laughing matter for the Angels, who were at the mercy of his impulses. 

Perhaps the most egregious example of this came before the 2020 season. Wanting to clear payroll, the Dodgers agreed to send Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling to the Angels for infielder Luis Rengifo and two minor leaguers. As part of the deal, the Dodgers threw in a 19-year-old Pages.

But the trade was contingent upon the completion of a separate deal the Dodgers were making with the Boston Red Sox for Mookie Betts. In his impatience, Moreno scrapped his team’s trade with the Dodgers.

Whoops.

Moreno did Kroenke at least one huge favor by clearing the decks for the new owner to rebuild the team as he wants.

Rendon’s contract will be off the books, and the only players currently under contract for next season are Mike Trout and Yusei Kikuchi.

In Mozeliak, the Angels have an interim general manager. 

In Kurt Suzuki, they have a lame-duck manager.

The challenge for Kroenke will be to find the person who will be to the Angels what McVay is to the Rams, what Arteta is to Arsenal – or what Andrew Friedman is to the Dodgers.

That won’t be easy.

Steve Cohen has committed significant resources to the New York Mets since he purchased them in 2020. Cohen thought he found his Friedman in David Stearns, but that Stearns’ appointment hasn’t translated into the kind of success the owner envisioned.

Kroenke knows there aren’t any guarantees. Before McVay, there was Jeff Fisher, and before Arteta, there was Unai Emery.

Nonetheless, Kroenke’s first step as owner promises to be a step forward for the Angels.

Moreno won’t be calling the shots for them anymore.