Angels should take advantage of Mets' sale by trading for longtime utilityman

The Angels and the entire world of MLB saw the continuation of the offseason hot stove on Sunday evening, as the New York Mets and Texas Rangers swapped bad contracts, with outfielder Brandon Nimmo joining the AL West and Marcus Semien heading to the east coast. This ends an exciting week in baseball, joining the headlines alongside the Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward trade that may have just saved Perry Minasian his job. And the Mets are ripe for trades now, with Minasian surely lurking as always.

As it stands now, the Angels' biggest positional needs are at second base and third base. The hope is for Chistian Moore to shake off the inconsistencies from his rookie season and take hold of second, while no clear in-house options exists at third base (although Kyren Paris may be changing that). They also need some outfield depth, as after Mike Trout and Jo Adell their depth starts to look very unproven.

For the past eight seasons, Jeff McNeil has been a staple of the Mets' lineup. He has been a positive player every season of his career, earning an average of 4 WAR per 162 games (courtesy of Baseball Reference) over the course of his career. He will earn $15.75 million next season, with a club option for the same amount in 2027 - an absolutely solid deal for whoever employs McNeil. The questions is now - can the Angels be the team to do so?

Angels need to pry Jeff McNeil away from Mets

There is little-to-no reason that the Angels should hesitate in making this deal. McNeil is a seamless, veteran fit on a really fair contract that fills multiple holes for the Angels. If Moore is not ready to be the everyday second baseman, McNeil can turn double plays with Zach Neto throughout 2026. If Moore has a solid Spring Training and earns a starting job, McNeil is the veteran third baseman the team needed to actually keep pace in the AL West.

The package would surely include a top prospect for the Angels, but McNeil would be worth it. With the Mets looking to shed salary, the Angels could soften the package they send out by simply paying the full contract to McNeil. The team would be hard-pressed to find a free agent as productive, versatile, and sure-handed at the price tag that McNeil carries.

If the Mets are willing to trade Nimmo - who has spent a decade with the team - then they are willing to trade anyone from their old core. They are fully turning the page towards Juan Soto and their future, and McNeil's future in New York is as murky as ever. The Mets have their third overall prospect Jett Williams waiting in Triple-A, so swapping McNeil out to save money as they pursue bigger needs makes a lot of sense. And the Angels would be wise to be the landing spot for McNeil if he truly is available.