3 players the LA Angels should sign to early contract extensions

Zach Neto

Let's call it what it is - the Angels rushed Zach Neto to the major leagues. While Neto was regarded as an advanced college hitter, Los Angeles had no business accelerating his development because the front office, ownership, or whoever was attempting to capitalize on Shohei Ohtani's last season in an Angels uniform.

Neto played just 23 minor league games before getting called up to the big leagues. But in those games, Neto showed tremendous potential with 14.1% walk-rate and 1.157 OPS. Neto is a professional hitter, and most scouts agree that his bat-to-ball skills are his greatest asset.

Neto hit just .225/.308/.377 last season, but it's difficult to lay the blame for an up-and-down rookie season completely at his feet after having so little seasoning in the minors. But with that major league experience now under this belt, the bar will be raised heading into 2024.

The Angels already got a head start with Neto's service time clock after calling him up last season. If the Halos actually believe that he's going to be that above-average hitter who can play both second base and shortstop, the front office could kick the tires on a potential contract extension.

The goal of these types of extensions is to follow the model set by the Atlanta Braves and other organizations that identify talent, then secure those players at least a year or two beyond their arbitration window. It gives the team cost control and it gives the player financial security. At 23 years old, this could be a fine deal for Neto and the Angels.

Reid Detmers

Starting pitching is becoming increasing expensive with each passing season. When fans see some of the massive paydays these hurlers are receiving, they begin to understand why drafting and development of an organization's pitching staff has become so important.

Reid Detmers represents the best starter in the Angels organization. The University of Louisville alum has been relatively durable during his first two seasons in the bigs and while he struggled at points thoughout the season, the left-hander showed improvement in several areas in 2023.

Detmers saw an increase in his strikeout rate while also focusing more on his breaking ball. After going to his slider just 25% of the time in 2022, the left-hander increased that usage to 32% last season and saw an uptick in velocity, according to Baseball Savant. With new pitching coach and former Angels player Barry Enright guiding the way, the hope is that he can continue to push Detmers and allow him to reach the lofty expectations that come from being a first-round pick.

The Angels best hitter from a season ago was also their best pitcher. With Shohei Ohtani no longer on the roster, LA will need someone to step in and take over that No. 1 role. Is Detmers up for the task?

Detmers is under team control for four more seasons, so the immediacy isn't there quite yet. But the sooner these types of deals are executed, the more money the team can conceivably save on the back end, which allows for the roster to be supplemented through free agency when the time comes.

The Los Angeles Angels allowed one of their own to walk out the door this past offseason. While Ohtani's deal is quite different than any other free agent in baseball history, it does signify the need for the Angels to keep their own players. They've done a good job doing so with Mike Trout, but securing some of these young players to smaller contract extensions could be the ticket to long-term success.