Are the Angels bound for a new ballpark?

Is this the future home of the Angels? (Keith Birmingham/San Gabriel Valley Tribune)

In what's probably nothing more than a ruse to get a better deal out of Anaheimers, the Angels are investigating a move to nearby Industry, Calif., reports Ben Baeder of the Los Angeles Daily News. Industry, it should be noted, is located 19 miles from the Angels' current home.

All of this is happening because the Angels' stadium lease expires in 2016, and, as Baeder notes, the Angels at that time must either renew their lease through 2029 or move. There's absolutely no chance they abandon the wealthy and populous Southern California market, but there is a chance that they leave Anaheim. So what about Industry?

Although talks are in the "preliminary" stages, the biggest obstacle would seem to be that the Angels are interested in a site -- that desolate nexus of freeways pictured above -- that's already being considered for an NFL stadium. In all likelihood, though, Angels owner Arte Moreno is merely using the threat of move to get concessions out of municipal decision-makers in Anaheim.

Still, the "Los Angeles Angels of Industry" has a certain ring to it. Or better yet: "The Angels of Industry."

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