The Red Sox are interested in the Angels shortstop Zach NetoKen Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report. They reported that Boston also contacted the Angels about Neto last season, although those initial talks did not progress to the point where the sides are discussing trade terms.
There was no indication that Neto was actually found in the winter. It’s unclear if that will change this summer, but the Angels are preparing for a trade deadline and would be more inclined to hear from teams on their top trade assets. Interim general manager John Mozeliak said this week that the Halos “might” consider moving controllable players for a suitable return.
Reports from ESPN and the New York Post suggested the Angels were more than willing to listen to Neto’s wishes, Reid Detmers again José Soriano than they would have been in the past. None of this means a trade is likely, but the Angels appear to be very open-minded about ways to bolster a poor farm system and one of the league’s worst rosters.
Boston’s interest in Neto is hardly surprising. It would be very surprising if they saw they weren’t there I’m looking at an above-average shortstop with below-average arbitration control for three and a half seasons. Still it highlights how quickly the trend has changed. Three weeks ago, the Sox were closer to the Angels than they were to the Wild Card spot. Aroldis Chapman again Sonny Gray they were expected to be there.
A 15 game streak changes things quickly. Boston is now in the third Wild Card spot in the American League. They are 6.5 behind the Rays in the division. Suddenly they can become one of the most aggressive consumers. As MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald notes in the Sox’s view of Front Office recruits, middle infield is the obvious place to start.
Boston was not there Trevor’s story (sports hernia surgery) and Marcelo Mayer (stress reaction in left leg) weeks. Both are expected to return this season, but each was a decent player before their injuries. Utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa had a better season, but was out in mid-June due to strain on his left arm. They use a shortstop platoon of Tsung-Che Cheng again Andrew Monasterio while playing Anthony Seigler again Romy Gonzalez on second base.
That might be the worst center field in the league, let alone a postseason contender. Neto will obviously be an upgrade. He’s been an above-average hitter for three straight years, including this season’s .238/.326/.446 slash in 448 plate appearances. He has a desire to increase the strike zone and mixed defensive marks, which can make him a frustrating player, but he appears to be on his way to a third consecutive 20-20 season.
Neto now has 19 players and can top last year’s 26 longballs. You only go Colson Montgomery again CJ Abrams between shorts this year. He was arrested with Bobby Witt Jr. fourth place – behind Willy Adams, Gunnar Henderson again Francisco Lindor – with 68 homers over the past three seasons.
Neto, who bowls righty, does not have a lot of batting speed but is very good at hitting the ball in the air towards the catch side. That would play well at Fenway Park and should appeal to baseball executive Craig Breslow, who cited a similar ability as one of the reasons the Sox traded him. Caleb Durbin in the offseason. Durbin was coming off a rookie season in which 20% of his batted balls were in the left field; Neto is over 28% this year and 23.3% in his career.
If the Sox can pull off a Neto trade, that could push Indaba into second place. He’s a better fit at this stage of his career, as his defensive metrics have declined over the past season and a half. Story, who is signed through 2027, will need to do better than earlier this year to remain an everyday player at any point.
Mayer still has a full list of minor league options and could be demoted to Triple-A Worcester or traded. His stock has dropped to the point that he won’t be the backbone of Neto’s comeback, but could be the second or third player in a deal (or be converted elsewhere as a candidate change).
In a separate column, Rosenthal and Samson report that the Angels are also looking at pitching in the minors given their struggles at the position and the lack of talent in the farm system. Once again Connor Wong or Carlos Narvaez it will move the needle a lot. Baseball America recently ranked the chance to catch Low-A Franklin Primera as Boston’s #6 minor league talent and a fast riser in their system. Speaking of speculation, he could be interested in the Angels as a second piece as well.
Boston’s leading figures will be off-limits in all trade conditions. A middle player Franklin Arias ranked as the #3 overall game prospect in BA; Eric Longenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs recently ranked him second (behind Milwaukee’s Jesus Made) in this afternoon’s update to their top 100 list. The 20-year-old Arias has drawn Double-A pitching at a .319/.407/.581 clip with 18 home runs in 74 games. Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports that the highly regarded young player is being promoted to Triple-A.
That opens up the possibility of Arias arriving at Fenway before the end of the season. The Sox’s weakness at both middle infield spots means they wouldn’t be able to stop him if they traded for shortstop. Arias could break in as a second baseman or push a trade acquisition to the other side of the bag and blow Story up the lineup.
Neto is playing with a salary of $4.15MM as a Two player. He will enter compensation three more times (assuming no service structure changes in the collective bargaining agreement) and hit free agency before his age-29 season. The angels can simply hold him as a basic piece of their equipment. He should be more durable than Soriano or Detmers, each of whom is manageable for two more seasons. If they make him available, the Braves, Yankees, Rays and Twins are a few other teams that could be in the mix.
