1 realistic trade, 1 bold trade, and 1 trade mistake Angels could make at the GM meetings

The MLB General Manager Meetings are upon us, and the Los Angeles Angels could be the biggest wheelers and dealers of the entire event. Some believe that the Angels have the most valuable trade chips in the entire league, with Reid Detmers and Zach Neto taking center stage.

Los Angeles enters this period, one that has become even more important due to the impending lockout, without any permanent stewards to guide the team through this critical time. That makes it extremely difficult to forecast what the Halos will do, but we have some ideas for trades that just make too much sense, are bold and exciting, and would be a grave mistake.

A realistic Angels trade would be dealing Nolan Schanuel to the Diamondbacks for Jordan Lawlar

While the Arizona Diamondbacks could be eyeing a bigger shakeup that involves shipping the mercurial Ketel Marte out of town, they have a need for left-handed bats, especially at first base. Arizona also has a glut of young outfielders it could part with in order to better balance the roster.

That's where Nolan Schanuel comes in. While he has some decent contact skills and a great eye at the plate, he doesn't have the power that the Angels need at the position, nor does he have any other real skills to compensate for his lack of pop. For the Diamondbacks, they need a lefty hitter who can get on base, so the 24-year-old fits the bill.

Jordan Lawlar has failed to stick with the snakes for a variety of reasons, but he's a former top prospect who finally showed signs of life in 2026, hitting .258/.319/.460 despite being limited to just 44 games due to injuries. He can play center of Los Angeles, or become an infield solution at second, third, or shortstop. The Halos have Moises Ballesteros who could slide to first base to replace Schanuel, or they could make the big splash and land Teruaki Sato and put him at either corner infield spot.

The bold move the Angels could make is swapping Zach Neto for Red Sox top prospect Franklin Arias

The Boston Red Sox are thought to be in the market for any of the top shortstops who could be available, and they have one more prime trade chip to dangle with MLB Pipeline's No. 2 overall prospect Franklin Arias. For the Angels, dealing Neto now would be capitalizing on his value at a high point. He has three years of team control remaining, is a perennial 20-20 threat with 30-30 potential, and is also just 25 years old.

The issue with Neto is that while he's very good, he's not a true superstar and has failed to take the next step in his development. However, Boston's desperation, combined with Neto being in the sweet spot of his team control, makes him a prime chip to goad the Red Sox into an overpay. The ask starts with Arias, who hit a combined .323/.400/.557 with 25 homers between Double-A and Triple-A and should be ready to make his big league debut in 2027. Toss in another top-five Red Sox prospect like righty Juan Valera, and a nearly big-league-ready arm like No. 17 prospect Gage Ziehl, and you have a deal.

Pairing Arias with top prospect Arjun Nimmala will give the Halos two cornerstone pieces in the infield that will be the envy of the league. Both will be ready for the majors soon, too, so the club won't be kicking the can too far down the road. It hurts to give up Neto, but if Arias reaches his full potential, he'll be an even better player.

The biggest mistake that the Angels can make would be trading Reid Detmers to... anyone

The temptation to trade Detmers is understandable. Controllable left-handed aces don't grow on trees and are in high demand, so the price will be sky-high. There's also the question of timelines, and if we're looking at a future with prospects like Nimmala playing big roles, the 27-year-old hurler with two remaining arbitration years doesn't seem to align with that plan.

With a 3.36 ERA on the season, Detmers appears like a top-flight starter, but some bad first-half luck actually led to that number obscuring how good he truly was. The southpaw posted a 1.89 ERA over 76 1/3 post-All-Star Break innings, and while that's a lofty bar to continue to clear, it might be more indicative of his true talent.

The bottom line is, Neto is a really good player, but Detmers is a superstar. You can move one and not trade the other. Given the Angels' woeful inability to develop pitchers, dealing away your greatest win doesn't seem smart. Instead, the club should focus on extending the budding ace and allowing him to be the veteran who leads the young core forward. Any trade would be a step back and would be a mistake.

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