Astros may have just made the Angels' best trade chip impossible to ignore

If the Los Angeles Angels are serious about doing what they need to go actually move the organization forward, they need to consider trading shortstop Zach Neto. While it sounds like that’s actually on the table, they’re going to need to get a big return. As it turns out, that help might be arriving from an unlikely place: Houston.

Neto’s trade value rises due to scarcity. The fewer true difference-making shortstops available, the better. And within the division, the Houston Astros have one who could be one of the best trade pieces in all of baseball in Jeremy Peña. But Dana Brown keeps telling teams they’re not trading him, not with them chasing a playoff spot. For the Angels, it opens up an opportunity to have the best shortstop on the market. Neto is really the name on the market with a similar enough profile. 

Zach Neto becomes the market's best remaining alternative

Neto is having a good, not great year, so he’s not a typical hot commodity on the market. His strikeout rate is way up, but so is his walk rate, for what it’s worth. His .234/.323/.441 line through the weekend with mixed statistical reviews on his defense (Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) at +2 and Outs Above Average (OAA) at -8) doesn’t really scream “building block.” But this summer, he’s likely the best shortstop available at a deadline when the rest are staying put for various reasons. 

Defense aside, he’s not that far off his typical offensive numbers. His strikeout rate has crept up a little bit from the first year and a half of his career, but the power has too. He hit .257/.319/.474 last year. He steals bases. He can certainly help a lineup even if he’s not a main cog in that lineup.

The Red Sox are a great example of a team in need of Neto, assuming they’re still interested in shortstop help. With Trevor Story on the injured list, Andruw Monasterio is holding down shortstop. He’s been fine. Neto is better. Boston reportedly views Neto as “a strong fit” and that they tried to acquire him previously. They’ve also reportedly been in on Peña, but, again, that’s not happening, so Neto is left as the guy.

The acquisition of Curtis Mead over the weekend may have muddled that a little bit. They’ve already sent Connelly Early for a right-handed hitting middle infielder. So on paper, maybe that ship has sailed, but Mead also is going to play second base, so they still theoretically need a shortstop. It also could be that Mead becomes part of another deal for Boston. It wouldn’t be typical, but it’s happened before. That keeps Neto in the conversation after reports of a “shocking” shift in how ownership is approaching the stretch run.

John Mozeliak wasn’t brought in to keep things the same, and the state of the roster and farm system points to a need for a real reset. Neto is still just 25 and has three years of team control beyond this season. He’s making just $4.15 million this year with three years of arbitration to go, so he’s relatively inexpensive and is exactly the sort of trade chip a rebuilding front office cashes in on when the demand is there. He can hit the ball over the wall, he can steal bases, and he can handle shortstop. The tools are obviously there. 

They don’t have to trade him. If they don’t get the offer they want, his value isn’t going to diminish much in the offseason or at the next deadline. Teams may point to the strikeouts and the iffy defense and not give the Angels the offer they need. But every day Houston keeps saying no on Peña is another day that shortstop-needy teams like Boston, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and likely others have fewer places to turn. If the Angels are serious, the next few days are the time to make someone pay for the scarcity.

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