Zach Neto's late-season surge might expedite his ticket out of Los Angeles

Zach Neto's 2026 season has been a rollercoaster, featuring some big months and a series of mini-slumps (often fueled by strikeouts). Yet he's still going to end up with a line all Los Angeles Angels fans have become accustomed to over the past three years, as he's sitting on a 113 wRC+ and 3.6 fWAR with just one week left to go in the regular season.

Those numbers have been buoyed by a huge final act from Neto, who has been one of the best players in baseball over the past month. Since August 17, the star shortstop is hitting .303/.385/.538 (161 wRC+), leading the Halos in each category. His strikeout rate (28.1%) remains elevated, but by just about every other measure, he's having his best stretch of the season.

While it's fair to see those numbers and express some excitement about what could be in store for Neto in 2027, it's more realistic to wonder how much this has helped his trade value. Knowing that a lockout is coming shortly after the offseason begins, the Angels may want to capitalize on this final impression their shortstop is making on the rest of the league.

Angels should take advantage of artifical urgency MLB lockout will create by trading Zach Neto

The idea of a Neto blockbuster isn't novel; we know John Mozeliak attempted to incite a bidding war for him at the trade deadline, demanding a haul of top prospects from interested clubs. No deal wound up crossing the finish line, of course, but it's strong confirmation that the Angels will play ball on the trade market.

With three years of team control remaining beyond 2026, there's no reason not to set an enormous price tag on the 25-year-old. There's no true urgency in this regard, though I'd argue that the Angels would benefit from trying to create some this offseason.

You see, the impending lockout is going to come at an awkward time on the MLB calendar. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Dec. 1, at which point the league will only have had about four weeks following the conclusion on the World Series to make rostering decisions, sign free agents, and execute trades. There's going to be a mad dash from teams trying to acquire the best players before a massive wave of uncertainty sweeps over MLB.

With Neto playing so well right now, the Angels' sales pitch is easy: He's a mid-20s star shortstop with remarkably consistent numbers year over year. Any team trying to do the majority of their offseason business before the lockout should try to acquire him, especially if they're interested in signing Neto to a sizable extension before the economic parameters of the sport change.

There's no guarantee that Mozeliak (or whoever is running the front office) finds a deal to their liking, of course. But the timing of all the factors at play here should make for a combustible trade market, one which could grant the Halos a future-altering haul.

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