MORENO: ‘I DIDN’T WANT TO GO’

Arte Moreno just couldn’t do it. The Angels owner, who put the team up for sale in August, told Sports Illustrated he wasn’t ready to give up his team despite receiving three offers worth more than the record $2.42 billion Steve Cohen purchased the New York Mets for in 2020.

“I had some big numbers,” Moreno said in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci. “Yeah, it was above the Mets’ number. Well, it was considerably above the Mets’ number.

“I had one buyer come to (Angel Stadium) to close the deal,” he said, then recounted the exchange with the buyer. “When you got right down to it, I didn’t want to go.”

Moreno has not spoken to local media in three years. His interview with Verducci represented his first detailed comments about the Angels in at least two years.

Moreno told SI that last year the Angels had five real trade offers for Shohei Ohtani and declared they would not trade him this year while they are contending for a playoff spot. Asked whether he would consider trading him if the Angels are not in playoff contention, Moreno replied:

“We expect to be a playoff contender. Everything in our plans putting this team together is about getting to the playoffs. So, I’m not going to sit here and wonder what happens in an outcome we’re not planning for. That would be like a fighter going into the ring and thinking, ‘What if I lose?’ If he does that, he will lose.”

D-backs lock up Carroll

Outfielder Corbin Carroll and the Diamondbacks agreed to an $111 million, eight-year contract that also has a club option for the 2031 season, according to a person familiar with the deal.

Mlb.com first reported the deal, which has not been officially announced.

The 22-year-old Carroll is one of baseball’s top prospects and among the betting favorites — according to Fanduel Sportsbook — to win Rookie of the Year this season. Carroll was very good in a late-season cameo last season, batting .260 with four homers and 14 RBIS in 32 games.

The Diamondbacks aren’t historically a big-spending team but were willing to pay to make Carroll a franchise cornerstone. The softspoken speedster is a Seattle native.

He’s part of a young core of Dbacks players, including outfielders Alek Thomas, Jake Mccarthy, catcher Gabriel Moreno and pitchers Brandon Pfaadt, Drey Jameson and Tommy Henry.

Arizona finished with a 74-88 record last season.

Notable

Cardinals rookie outfielder Jordan Walker, one of the sensations of spring training, left the game against the Astros with a strained right shoulder suffered on a slide at second base in the first inning.

But manager Oliver Marmol said he was not “overly concerned. Day to day.”

Before Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Houston, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Walker led the Grapefruit League in hits (14), batting average (.438), slugging percentage, OPS, total bases and extra-base hits.

The Phillies are shutting down 25-year-old right-hander Noah Song for a few days because of back tightness. He had an MRI on Friday.

Catcher Keibert Ruiz agreed to an eight-year contract with the Nationals, reportedly for $50 million. The contract begins this year and runs through the 2030 season, with club options for the 2031 and 2032 seasons.

Ruiz was part of the deadline deal in 2021 that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers. He is entering his fourth big league season.

Arte Moreno