The average baseball fan around the country might see the name of the Los Angeles Angels and think, ‘Sure, they’re close to L.A. so that makes sense,’ but to those native to Orange County, it can feel like a slap in the face.

That’s why Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, in an open-letter about the Angels future to owner Arte Moreno, called for the team to be named for the city is actually represents.

“[Acknowledge] the greatness of Anaheim’s history and its contributions to Orange County, by recognizing ‘ANAHEIM’ prominently as the team’s location and partner,” the letter reads in part.

That point was one of several Aitken addressed in the letter calling for better communication between the city and Angels ownership about the future of the Angels in Anaheim. The team, which plays in the fourth-oldest stadium in Major League Baseball, has faced questions surrounding its reporting of potential maintenance problems at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

The Angel Stadium of Anaheim is seen Monday, Jan. 9, 2006, in Anaheim (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

In the letter, written on the day of the Angels’ home opener for the 2025 season, Aitken acknowledged that she has virtually no relationship with the team’s ownership.

“I want to change that for the better,” she said.

She wrote that she’s grown tired of vague statements from the organization surrounding its status in Anaheim and that she wants an “open and honest conversation about the future of baseball in Anaheim.”

In addition to her plea for a change back to the Anaheim Angels, she listed the following starting points for a better relationship between the city and the franchise:

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Anaheim, Calif., April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

• Establishing trust through a straightforward, good-faith relationship.
• Full access to the stadium for inspections and an open exchange of information.
• Going through a public process and ensuring we meet our obligations under the Surplus Land Act.
• Conducting community outreach around what the residents envision for the property through surveys, community meetings and stakeholder engagement.
• Providing the community with regular updates, focusing on transparency and partnership.
• Committing to include a local and skilled workforce, both in any stadium improvements and long-term staffing, through a community work agreement.
• Investment in the city of Anaheim’s residents and their schools, parks, workforce training
• programs, affordable housing and open space.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Angels gave the following response to the letter:

“We appreciate Mayor Aitken’s letter and the desire to strengthen the relationship between the city and Angels Baseball. We look forward to Opening Day and the future of Angels Baseball in Anaheim.”

The Angels play, as they have since 1966, in Angel Stadium. The city of Anaheim owns the stadium, while the Angels operate it.

The Angels don’t pay rent to play in the stadium, and the team just extended their lease to play there until 2032. They have one more option to extend the current lease, which would keep them in Anaheim with no obligation to pay rent until 2038.

In 2020, the city agreed to sell the stadium and surrounding land to a Moreno-affiliated company for $325 million, which would have kept the Angels in Anaheim presumably with a new stadium. But that deal was later canceled by the City Council when then-Mayor Harry Sidhu was investigated on corruption charges.

Now, as the Angels approach their 2025 home opener against the Cleveland Guardians in an unfamiliar position: with a winning record. They’re 4-2 after a six-game road trip to start the season. But even if the team exceeds expectations and puts together a season above .500, it would be the first winning season in Anaheim since 2015.

In the last decade, Angels players have won four AL MVP Awards (Mike Trout in 2016 and 2019, and Shohei Ohtani in 2021 and 2023) — and have played in zero playoff games.

The lack of team success mixed with an uncertain future in their longterm home is made visible even with an interlocked “LA” shadow hanging over their heads with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers dominating the sport just 30 miles away.

If, and when, the Angels can once again escape that shadow, perhaps they can do it with the city they actually play in across their players’ chests.