Owner Arte Moreno and the Los Angeles Angels shocked the baseball world at the Winter Meetings on Thursday morning by signing the best available hitter and best available pitcher on the free agent market, inking Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson to deals with a combined total of $331.5 million. The reason they were able to make it rain all over Dallas was thanks to a new television contract that will reportedly more than triple their current broadcast revenue.
The Angels have reached a new 20-year deal with Fox Sports worth roughly $3 billion, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. That windfall of $150 million per year is not only the largest in the division, but also $100 million more per season over their previous 10-year, $500 million deal.
Television rights are very popular in southern California, as the Los Angeles Lakers signed a new 20-year deal with Time Warner earlier this year and the Dodgers and Frank McCourt have been battling Fox in court for the right to strike a new deal. The Angels were able to pounce at a time when Fox didn't want to lose all three of those teams to Time Warner, and got their huge contract.
As for the Dodgers, who won in Delaware Bankruptcy Court on Thursday the right to negotiate a new TV deal, the future could feature a similar cash infusion. "The bidding between Fox and Time Warner Cable for the Dodgers' television rights is about to start, and the over-under is $4 billion," Shaikin said.
For more news on Albert Pujols and the Angels, be sure to read Halos Heaven.
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Los Angeles Angels New TV Deal Worth $3 Billion Over 20 Years, Per Report
Dec 8
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