Angels' surprise sale could give real meaning to Dodgers' Freeway rivalry

It's been a long time since the Los Angeles Dodgers felt any sort of competition from their nearest geographic rival. The Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim) technically don't share the city, and for the better part of the last decade, they haven't shared the same baseball stratosphere.

In reality, aside from the fact that you can drive down I-5 and get from Dodger Stadium to Angel Stadium in 39 minutes if the traffic is good and the fact that both franchises have employed Shohei Ohtani, there isn't much that links them. The "rivalry" has been mostly something manufactured by MLB to sell tickets and drive ratings during a designated weekend.

That could all be about to change. Stan Kroenke, best known around these parts as the owner of the Los Angeles Rams, has purchased the Angels. With that come a ton of questions. The team's stadium to the name to the front office structure and coaching staff, and finally, the on-field product are all things that could undergo huge changes with a new owner in place.

What is beyond a shadow of a doubt is that the clown show Moreno ran is over. Kroenke not only owns the Rams but also the Denver Nuggets and the English Premier League's Arsenal F.C. This isn't some billboard salesman trying his hand at owning a professional sports franchise.

No, Kroenke is a seasoned professional sports franchise owner. That makes him dangerous to the Dodgers' regional dominance.

Stan Kroenke's deep pockets revitalize the Angels and give the Dodgers a run for their money

With the purchase of the Angels, Kroenke becomes MLB's richest owner, ousting Steve Cohen from the top spot. By most estimates, Kroenke is worth $24.3 billion (potentially more), while Cohen checks in at a cool $23 billion.

As we've seen with the Mets, simply spending money doesn't guarantee anything. New York is running a $380 million payroll and sits in the NL East cellar, looking up at the stingiest team in the league, the Miami Marlins, in the process.

Pure spending power isn't what has made the Dodgers the juggernaut that they are today. In fact, one could argue that many of the Dodgers' big-money free-agent signings have been poor investments. Instead, it's the scouting and player development infrastructure, combined with the marketing machine that they've built, that has set them apart from the rest of the league.

The Dodgers invest in systems that uncover and produce talent at all levels. That's exactly what Kroenke can do for the Angels now. In fact, if one looks at recent history for the Rams and the Nuggets, it's fair to say that he's made that sort of investment in his other franchises.

And let's not forget that, at one time, the Angeles were once a prime destination. They ushered in the Arte Moreno era by landing Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and lured Ohtani from Japan. They also spent lavishly on terrible investments, such as Josh Hamilton and Anthony Rendon. However, if they have some competence at the top, they could be dangerous.

Meanwhile, the jig might be up for Mark Walter and the Dodgers. While there's a lot that still needs to play out in the Walter predicament, if cashflow becomes an issue the club's advantage might dry up. If that happens, the Angels could eventually usurp them as SoCal's go-to team.

On the field, things will get more interesting. The Freeway Series won't be a cake walk anymore. The trade deadline and offseason could have both clubs leading the feeding frenzy. These are exciting and terrifying times are rolled into one.

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