Angels fans blast Arte Moreno as Nez Balelo reveals team had 'every opportunity' to sign Shohei Ohtani 

Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani's agent Nez Balelo revealed that the Los Angeles Angels and Arte Moreno had every opportunity to sign the star, leaving fans in anger over the move to the Los Angeles Dodgers. While there were several teams in pursuit of Ohtani's signature over the course of the offseason, the latest reports suggest that the star could well have remained with his former team if they made more of an effort. This has left Angels fans devastated and they have taken to social media to blast their team owner.

Arte Moreno is an American businessman who grew up in Arizona and went on to work in advertising after completing his studies. After his billboard company went public and its value soared, Moreno made his first foray into baseball by purchasing the Salt Lake Trappers minor league team in 1986, which was a tremendous success. He then purchased the Angels from the Walt Disney Company after their 2002 World Series triumph.

Since purchasing the team, Arte Moreno established himself as an owner who does not shy away from spending big to land top-quality players for the team. However, he suffered his first major backlash from fans for changing the team's name and is now facing a similar reaction for letting Ohtani slip through their fingers. As Ohtani's agent Nez Balelo has revealed, Moreno could have held on to his star player but did not do enough to convince him to stay. This has resulted in Angels fans blasting their team owner on social media:

"This is crushing," wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter. "Worst owner in professional sports," added another.

Will Arte Moreno trade Mike Trout next?

With Shohei Ohtani already becoming an ex-Los Angeles Angels player, fans are now calling for Mike Trout to follow suit and join another team to get his career underway. Ohtani and Trout were the two undisputed stars in the Angels team which failed to win anything of significance, despite having two of the best players of the generation.

Hence, soon after Ohtani's departure, fans have been calling for Trout to make a move as well. Indeed it could be a good move for the highly-rated slugger to try his luck elsewhere after nine seasons of disappointment with the Angels, failing to make the playoffs even once.