Arte Moreno Spent $325 Million Trying to Drive a Stake Through the Dodgers' Heart

But opening the checkbook today to drop $325 million on CJ Wilson and Albert Pujols was easily his biggest day as an owner. And it wasn’t just about landing one of the best players in baseball. It was about trying to overtake the Dodgers as LA’s team.

Moreno is of Mexican descent. Los Angeles has an enormous Hispanic/Latin community. The Dodgers are a mess, bankrupt, and Fernandomania turned 30 last summer. With the most popular baseball team in Los Angeles floundering due to ineptitude, Moreno did what any savvy owner would do: Pushed all his chips into the middle of the table in hopes of taking over the LA baseball market.

So what if Moreno grossly overpaid for Pujols? The Angels won’t feel that impact for 5-6 years, at which point Pujols will begin to break down like A-Rod has. The next 2-3 years are more important in an attempt to win over on-the-fence fans, or those disgusted with what has become of the Dodgers.

I expect a heavy, heavy marketing push for Pujols in LA. He’ll get Kobe-type exposure. It’ll be interesting to see if the next generation of baseball fans follow the Angels more closely than the Dodgers.

The best move the Dodgers can do to counter this?

Let Mark Cuban buy the team.