Angels must rebuff potential Yankees (and any other) trade offer for Zach Neto

As the Angels prepare to negotiate with free agents, find trades to improve their team, and fill out the coaching staff for Kurt Suzuki (which is off to a great start on the pitching side), there is one thing they absolutely cannot do this off season. The Los Angeles Angels can, under no circumstances, trade Zach Neto in a lateral move this off season. Unless the Halos are receiving a player back who is indisputably a better baseball player than Zach Neto (which is a small number of baseball players), then there should not be a single trade offer listened to or made by Perry Minasian this off season. 

Some fan bases are already dreaming of bringing Neto into their own organization - and who can blame them? Neto was one of the best shortstops in the entire league last season, building off of a 2024 season by simply improving in every single way. He hit more home runs, had a higher batting average, continued to excel defensively, and became the heart and soul of this Angels organization. That is a player you build around, not one you trade for a package of prospects in hopes of building out a better team. 

Angels must hold off on any Zach Neto trades

Thomas Carrante of Yanks Go Yard pointed out the potential of Neto’s change in representation having the Angels ponder trading their star shortstop. Carrante explained, “After the latest news that Neto changed his representation, it's quite possible the Angels and Arte Moreno wouldn't mind getting maximum value for him via trade if they don't want to pay top-of-market dollar for a shortstop when the time comes. As a CAA client — the closest thing to being repped by Scott Boras — Neto is now expected to play his way into free agency and let the chips fall where they may.”

And while the change in representation does increase the likelihood of Neto eventually testing free agency, that is a long way away. Neto has four years of team control left and will be going through the arbitration process each season. While that could get pricey for the Angels, that is a good problem to have. The Angels have long maintained a window of playoff contention for 2026-2028, and they are set up to take another step forward next season if they can correct a few worrying trends. Neto is the focal point of their lineup and the heartbeat of the clubhouse and should remain as that. Unless Paul Skenes or someone of his caliber suddenly has a desire to pitch in Anaheim, the Angels should slam the phone down and hang up on any team questioning the availability of Zach Neto.