What's a realistic timeline for a Zach Neto Angels extension?

Zach Neto, a little over 2 years removed from being drafted, is far and away the Angels' most important player moving forward.

When MLB fans look around the league, they see an abundance of contract extensions for organizations' crowned jewels. The best President of Baseball Operations identify the future of the franchises and lock them into team-friendly deals as soon as possible. They even do so before they play a single game in the big leagues.

Neto leads the team in games played, wins above replacement, and he keeps getting better. Turning 24 in January, Neto will be holding down the Angels 6-hole for the foreseeable future. Despite not even reaching arbitration yet, there are expectations that the front office needs to begin his extension talks given the landscape of professional baseball.

A practical comparison for a hypothetical Neto extension lies with Ezequiel Tovar for the Colorado Rockies. After Tovar's age-21 season, the Rockies extended him for 7 years and $63.5 million of guaranteed money (he has a club option in 2031 for $23 million) in March, 2024. The Rockies and Angels share some commonalities as franchises who are eager to get out of their divisions' basement, and the Angels' young shortstop is outplaying Colorado's this season.

Both Tovar and Neto have played 142 games this season, and Neto exceeds Tovar in bWAR, OBP, OPS, OPS+, and stolen bases. When you factor in Denver's altitude and see that Tovar's SLG is only slightly higher than Neto's (.461 to .451), one could surmise that Neto has shown more pop than Tovar in 2024 as well. Additionally, Tovar only has 1 more HR than Neto thus far.

Neto has proven worthy of a long extension in a short period of time, despite some growing pains. Neto's defense, specifically his range, has taken a step back this season. However, Neto's sprint speed and arm strength have improved. At the plate, Neto's shown consistent improvement and increased his xBA, xWOBA, and xSLG from last year.

There is precedent for pre-arbitration shortstops receiving long-term contract extensions. For example, Bobby Witt Jr., Tovar, Ceddanne Rafaela (a utility player that does play some SS), and...Wander Franco. The Angels could wait and see with Neto until he hits arbitration then extend him à la Bo Bichette, J.P. Crawford, and Orlando Arcia. However, a Neto extension would send the right message for a franchise who needs to inspire hope throughout the ranks.

Their legion of prospects know that they could be promoted to the Show at any given point, and seeing a 2022 draftee receive a pre-arb extension could rally them to play with even more incentive than they already do. A Neto extension could wave a carrot on a stick in front of promising players like Nolan Schanuel, Logan O'Hoppe, Caden Dana, Reid Detmers, José Soriano, and Christian Moore.

Could Neto be extended this winter? Absolutely, but only time will tell. For now, the Angels will retain Neto on his rookie contract and keep hoping for more improvement from their rising star.