Arte Moreno’s boneheaded comments may have already cost Angels trust of young star

At this point, most Los Angeles Angels fans are well aware of the comments Arte Moreno made down at spring training. For reasons passing understanding, Moreno said the quiet part out loud by declaring that winning is too expensive and therefore not one of his priorities. Most are not surprised that Moreno holds that position, given how he has handled the Angels' payroll in recent years, but it was particularly wild that he said it out loud so matter-of-factly and actually tried to cite the results of fan surveys as his rationale.

Unfortunately for Moreno, it wasn't just Angels fans who heard what he said and may not be taking it well. Over the weekend, Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Shaikin put together a piece that made a strong argument for the Angels to extend Zach Neto. In the article, Neto discussed how important loyalty was to him and spoke glowingly of his teammates and the Angels' chances in 2026.

However, when asked about Moreno's comments and whether or not it would impact his willingness to stick around long-term, Neto's tone quickly became much less optimistic.

Arte Moreno's comments on winning not being a priority could prove costly if the Angels want to extend Zach Neto

To Neto's credit, he did not fan the flames too much with his response to the question. Moreover, the bulk of his comments talked about his loyalty to the team and his teammates. He also said that he would love to stay with the Angels if the opportunity presented itself. For what it is worth, general manager Perry Minasian declined to comment for the article on Neto at all.

However, there was no mistaking Neto's response to the Moreno-specific question. Not only did Neto need to pause to consider whether or not LA's owner's comments would alter his thinking, but his response was, "I really don’t have an answer to that. But we all know how important the fans are. They help us big time. They motivate us and give us energy. So I’m just going to be where my feet are and go out every single day and play the game.” That is quite a far cry from Neto's relentless optimism on basically every other topic.

The good news is that Neto didn't completely dismiss the idea of an extension, and even brought the idea up himself. However, in the wake of Moreno's comments on the record, it feels as though the Angels may have to pay him a bit more to pull such an extension off and probably give Neto some real assurances that the Angels are committed to trying to win.

As long as Moreno owns the team, you may not want to hold your breath until that happens.